WhatsApp hidden feature revealed! Sending media to view once will be updated with a new menu

Do you want to send a photo or video to WhatsApp that will disappear immediately after viewing, like on Snapchat? This is possible with the view once feature, which will become more convenient in the new messaging menu.

WhatsApp periodically adds new features to ensure user loyalty and counter competition from instant messengers like Telegram or Signal. The app recently added the Channels feature as well an ability to send photos and videos in HD and share your screen in real time during video calls. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, is currently working on new text editing and formatting features for WhatsApp, as well as an AI tool that will allow users to create their own stickers directly in the app using a simple text command. And the offer of new functions does not end there. As WABetaInfo noted, another useful new upgrade has been added in the version 2.23.18.3 through the Google Play Beta Program.

New WhatsApp menu for sending images and videos as a view once messages

Many users are aware of WhatsApp's disappearing message feature, but not everyone is aware of another very practical feature that allows you to share sensitive content that is automatically erased after viewing, leaving no trace behind. It's kind of like what you have on Snapchat. This could be useful, for example, when you want to send a humorous picture, intimate content, code or a photo depicting strangers - in a word, "disposable" files. Once the recipient opens the photo or video for viewing, it will be deleted once the message is closed and there will be no way to see it again. If the recipient wants to view the content again, this user will be notified that the attachment has expired and should ask the sender to resend it. Additionally, it is not possible to share, save, or take a screenshot in this mode. Please note that one-time view feature is different from disappearing messages, which are deleted after a period of time ranging from 24 hours to 90 days.

Currently, to make a photo or video viewable only once, you must attach an image or take a photo in chat and then, before sending, you need to click on the small icon shaped like the number 1 in a circle located on the right side of the text message area.

But in the new version of the application, you will be able do this in the new messaging menu by holding the send button, that is, the small green arrow in the lower right corner of the screen. A new menu will then appear allowing you to choose whether to send an image or video as a viewed message once. 

The upgraded view once feature will be available in one of the future updates of the app. This upcoming feature doesn't work for GIFs yet, but it's possible that WhatsApp will add support for them in the future. In addition, it is expected that in future updates the view once feature will also work with text messages.