WhatsApp Rolls Out ‘View Once’ Messages Feature To Android Beta Testers

WhatsApp on Wednesday rolled out the “View Once" feature to its beta testers on Android with version 2.21.14.3.

The feature is similar to that of disappearing media and text on Messenger and Instagram except there is no time window for expiry and the photos or videos automatically disappear when the receiver has viewed them once.

The Facebook-owned instant messaging service added the disappearing messages feature in November last year, and it now seems to be working on something similar for photos and videos.

The new feature is different from WhatsApp's disappearing messages which delete within seven days Photos and videos sent using "View Once" mode is single-use only and vanish after it is closed. You'll get a notification once your media has been viewed.

The 'View Once' feature was first spotted by WhatsApp update tracker WABetaInfo on Android beta version 2.21.14.3. When a photo or video is marked as ‘View Once' while sending, it will automatically disappear from the receiver's phone after they have seen it.

Taking screenshots is still enabled for these 'View Once' photos and videos, which means that the recipient can take a screenshot of the media before it gets deleted. Those on iOS will reportedly get the new mode at a later date.

The feature is only available to select beta testers on Android and there is no public release date for it yet. WABetaInfo says iOS beta testers will be getting the ‘View Once' feature soon.