WhatsApp launches View Once photos and videos that disappear

New Delhi: In a move to allow its users to have even more control over their privacy, WhatsApp now lets you send photos and videos that can only be viewed once by recipients.

The new change initially started rolling out to the iPhone users through a new WhatsApp version on Tuesday.

"Media will not be saved to the recipient's Photos or Gallery. Once you send a view once photo or video, you won't be able to view it again," WhatApp said in a statement on Tuesday.

WhatsApp has been testing the 'View Once' feature for some time to essentially enable photos and videos to disappear from the chat after they are viewed by the recipient. However, it doesn't restrict people from keeping a record of the media content by simply taking their screenshots.

The feature has been rolled out to everyone starting this week, and WhatsApp is looking forward to "feedback on this new way to send private and disappearing media".

For example, you might send a View Once photo of some new clothes you're trying on at a store, a quick reaction to a moment in time, or something sensitive like a Wi-Fi password.

"As with all the personal messages you send on WhatsApp, View Once media is protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot see them," the company said.

They will also be clearly marked with a new "one-time" icon.

After the media has been viewed, the message will appear as "opened" to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time.

You can't forward, save, star, or share photos or videos that were sent or received with view once media enabled.