WhatsApp has launched a new feature called View Once, which causes your photos and videos to "self-destruct" as soon as you open them.
This feature differs from the recently launched "Disappeared Messages" feature, which causes messages to disappear within seven days of being opened.
The Facebook-owned app hopes the new feature will make sending sensitive information easier and safer for users.
And if you haven't seen the feature yet, don't worry, WhatsApp says it will be rolling out to users around the world by the end of this week.
And if you haven't seen the feature yet, don't worry, WhatsApp says it will be rolling out to users around the world by the end of this week.
The company announced the new feature in a blog published today, August 4, and explained: “Taking photos or videos on our phones has become a huge part of our lives, but not everything we share needs to become a permanent digital record.”
"On many phones, just taking a photo means it will take up space in your camera roll forever. That's why today we're rolling out a new one-time view feature for photos and videos, which disappear from the chat after you open it, giving users more control over their privacy."
And as with all messages sent on WhatsApp, any 'One Time View' photos or videos will be protected by end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to what's being sent.
WhatsApp reassures: "With end-to-end encryption, your messages are secured with a padlock, and you only have the private key required to open and read them."
Once the recipient views the photos and videos, the message will appear as "open" to avoid any confusion about what was going on in the chat at the time.
And while photos and videos are automatically saved to the recipient's camera roll, WhatsApp can rest assured that "one-time viewing" media will not be saved.
"We're rolling out the feature to everyone starting this week and look forward to receiving feedback on this new way to send private and hidden media," the Facebook-owned company added.
Source: Daily Mail
