WhatsApp View Once media vanishes photos when seen

Not all messages are meant to occupy space in your phone memory forever or at least that's the idea behind new WhatsApp View Once feature. It works just like the Vanish mode in Instagram app. So, how does it work and how to use it? We’ll learn that all in our today’s post!

How to enable WhatsApp View Once feature for iOS?

Photos or videos sent using WhatsApp View Once feature are dismissed immediately from the recipient’s chat record, when seen. However, for this self-erasing message function to work, you need to manually turn it on. Read to find how it’s done!

1. Launch WhatsApp for iOS.
2. Choose a contact to which you would like to send the disappearing media.
3. Tap the camera icon.
4. Select a media file.
5. Tap the new one-time icon.
6. Tap OK when the popup message appears.
7. Tap the circled 1 icon, adjacent to the Send button.
8. Hit Send.

View Once media is end-to-end encrypted so even WhatsApp servers have no access to them.

What is View Once feature?

It is a special privacy feature that lets you send photos and videos that disappear from the recipient’s WhatsApp message after he/she has opened them once. That way, any media is not saved to the recipient’s Photos or Gallery.

How use WhatsApp View Once feature?

This new WhatsApp safety feature gives users more control over their privacy. To enable it, follow the instructions given below!

Launch WhatsApp on your smartphone. Make sure, it is updated to the latest version.

Now, select a contact to which you would like to send the disappearing media.

Tap the Camera icon at the bottom of the screen to select a media file.

Hit the new one-time icon (half-circled 1).

Tap Ok to confirm and hit the circled 1 icon, adjacent to the Send button.

Finally hit the Send button to send the media file.

Once, the media has been viewed, the message will appear as opened to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time.

Can you forward or share photos/videos received with View Once enabled?

No! It is not possible to forward, save, star, or share photos or videos that were sent or received with view once media enabled. You can only verify if a recipient has opened a view once photo or video if they have read receipts turned on.

What happens when you don’t open the View Once enabled photo or video?

When someone fails to open the photo or video within 14 days of it being sent, the media automatically expires from the chat.

For more information, you can visit the WhatsApp Frequently Asked Questions page.

Hope that makes sense!