How to Use WhatsApp View Once on Android, iOS: Step-by-Step Guide

Once you send a photo or video using the View Once feature, neither you nor the recipient will be able to view it again in your WhatsApp chat.

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By Jagmeet Singh | Updated: 19 December 2021 10:00 IST
Highlights
  • WhatsApp has View Once in place to disappear media after it’s viewed
  • Users need to tap the View Once icon each time to use the feature
  • WhatsApp users may able to take a screenshot of view once media

WhatsApp recommends users to only send photos or videos with View Once enabled to trusted individuals

WhatsApp has a feature called View Once in place for both Android and iOS devices to let you send photos and videos that stay on the recipient's phone for a single view, and disappear after. It helps you share content which you don't want to remain available in your chat forever. The photos and videos shared using View Once will also not be saved in Photos or Gallery of the recipient's phone. WhatsApp brings ephemerality to some extent through the View Once feature.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can use WhatsApp's View Once feature on your Android or iOS device.

How to use WhatsApp View Once on Android and iOS

Before getting started with the steps on how you can use the View Once on WhatsApp, it is important to note that once you send a photo or video using the feature, you won't be able to view it again in the chat. You will also not be able to forward, save, star, or share the photos or videos you share with view once media enabled. Moreover, the photos and videos shared using the View Once feature will expire from the chat if they are not open within 14 days of them being sent.

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  1. Open the latest version of WhatsApp on your device and select a photo or video that you want to show your contact for once.
  2. Tap the View Once icon available next to the caption bar. You will see an alert appearing at the middle of your content to confirm the activation of the feature.
  3. Now, hit the send button to share that photo or video with your contact.

It is worth pointing out that WhatsApp recommends users to only send photos or videos with View Once enabled to trusted individuals. It is simply because the recipient can take a screenshot or screen recording of the media before it disappears. You will not be informed or notified if a screenshot or screen recording is taken. The recipient can also take a photo or record a video of the media using a camera or other device before it disappears at their end.

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Encrypted media that has been sent using View Once may also be stored on WhatsApp's servers for a few weeks after you have sent it, the company said. The media will also be shared with WhatsApp if the recipient chooses to report it on the app.


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