WhatsApp feature makes photos and videos disappear after being viewed

WhatsApp users will soon be able to send photos and videos that disappear after the recipient views them. The option is called ‘single view’. WhatsApp parent company Facebook writes this in a blog post.

“While photos and videos on our phones are an important part of our lives, not everything we share needs to be stored permanently,” Facebook writes. With the new function, the company wants to focus even more on privacy.

With the one-time view, a photo will not open until the recipient taps it. After that, the photo cannot be viewed again. The WhatsApp conversation will instead show a reminder that the photo has already been opened.

Also, shared photos and videos are not saved in the photo gallery on the recipient’s phone. WhatsApp does recommend sending them only to people the user trusts.

The receiver can still take screenshots without the sender being informed. If you do not open the photo or video immediately, you have fourteen days before the image disappears for good.

You can send a one-time photo by selecting the icon with a ‘1’ on the right of the text box at the bottom of the image after you have added a photo.

The feature will be made available to all WhatsApp users worldwide in the coming days.