WhatsApp View Once Feature: Perks And Concerns That Come Along

WhatsApp has been introducing new features to its platform consistently. Amongst the recently introduced and expected features are the playback speeds for audio, the option to select video resolution before sending, and view once. The view once feature is similar to Instagram's disappearing photo option which is designed for enhanced privacy. But, is WhatsApp's view once option as private as Instagram's? What are its perks and what should be we concerned about? Here in this article, we break it down for you:

WhatsApp View Once Feature: What Are The Perks?

Just to recap, WhatsApp has introduced the view once feature for the Android beta 2.21.14.3 version and is expected to complete a mass rollout in the coming days. The iOS beta users are next in line to receive this temporary photo sharing feature.

If we speak of the perks, this feature makes the chat window and the device gallery less cluttered. Generally, the images shared by contact are saved in the device memory which you need to clean often to save the extra space.

The view once features will only store the image temporarily until it's viewed by the user. So, is this enough to make this feature useful for private conversations? Or is there anything you should be wary of?

WhatsApp View Once Feature: Concerns That Needs To Be Addressed

Unlike Instagram's disappearing photos feature, the view once option on WhatsApp doesn't notify a user if a screenshot has been taken. This is a major privacy concern that needs to be addressed. That's considering WhatsApp is amongst the preferred application for private conversations.

The end-to-end encryption is why users trust this platform with privacy. While the view once option does sound like an enhanced privacy feature, the absence of screenshot notification makes it vulnerable. You still need to be extra cautious while sharing private images using the view once option on WhatsApp.

At least, until the time the company adds this option as well to this feature. While it is not certain at the moment if and by when WhatsApp will bring the screenshot notification to view once feature, the probability of it arriving in the future can't be ruled out.