WhatsApp View Once feature: Here’s how to use it to send photos, videos

New Delhi: In 2021, the Facebook-owned instant messaging programme WhatsApp will offer a number of new features, one of which is the View Once function. This WhatsApp feature allows users to share photographs and videos that are automatically deleted after the recipient has viewed them once. The photographs and videos shared with the 'View Once' feature are not saved in the recipient's phone's Photos or Gallery. On both Android and iOS, the WhatsApp View Once feature is accessible.

It's worth noting that once you've sent a photo or video using this tool, you won't be able to see it again in the conversation. Additionally, photographs and videos marked as WhatsApp View Once cannot be sent, saved, starred, or shared. Furthermore, if such photographs and videos are not accessed within 14 days of being delivered, they are removed from the conversation. Given how significant the View Once function may be for everyone, here is a step-by-step guide on how to use it.

How to apply WhatsApp View Once feature to secure your chat

Step 1: Open the most recent version of WhatsApp on your phone or computer.

Step 2: Select the chat you want to join and then click the icon to attach a photo or video to share.

Step 3: After you've chosen your media, touch the 'View Once' icon next to the caption bar. When you're finished, an alert will display in the midst of your content to confirm the feature's activation.

Step 4: Now it's time to send that photo or video to your contact.

This functionality was added to WhatsApp to improve user privacy. When there is a safety or privacy concern, the instant messaging software recommends that users send photographs or videos with the View Once function. However, there is one flaw in the feature: even if these photographs and videos cannot be saved, recipients can still take a screenshot or record the media. If a snapshot or screen recording is taken, no notification is delivered to the sender. Before the media disappears at their end, the recipient can take a photo or make a video of it using another camera or other device.