WhatsApp is testing and developing a “view once” option for text messages on iOS, following similar efforts on Android. According to reports citing WABetaInfo, users will be able to compose a message and then long-press the Send button to choose “Send as view once.” Once sent, the recipient can open and read the message a single time, after which it disappears. The feature is designed to limit attempts to preserve the content: sources say WhatsApp blocks actions such as forwarding, copying, and sharing, and it also prevents screenshots and screen recordings. The capability is expected to be available for individual chats and groups, while being unsuitable for WhatsApp Channels, where the platform already has different ephemeral-message behavior. The option is described as being in development and not broadly rolled out yet, with iOS beta availability and ongoing work also indicated for Android. The feature is also likened to existing view-once protections already offered for photos, videos, and voice notes.
WhatsApp tests view-once text messages on iOS for chats and groups
WhatsApp is testing and developing a “view once” option for text messages on iOS, following similar efforts on Android. According to reports citing WABetaInfo, users will be able to compose a message...
- WhatsApp is developing or testing “view once” text messages on iOS.
- Users can long-press the Send button to select “Send as view once.”
- Recipients can view the message once; it then disappears.
- WhatsApp limits preserving the message by blocking forwarding, copying, sharing, and screenshots/screen recordings.
- The feature is reported to apply to private chats and groups, not WhatsApp Channels, and parallels Android development.
WhatsApp is working on view-once text messages, according to WABetaInfo. The feature lets users send texts that become inaccessible after a single read, with the same screenshot and forwarding blocks already in place for view-once photos and videos.
2 months agoWhatsApp has started testing "view once" messages on iOS. As the name implies, these will be messages that you send and can only be viewed once by the recipient. After they viewed them once, the messages will disappear. To enable the functionality you will just need to long-tap on the Send button, which will then present you with the option to "Send as view once". Engage that and you're done. WhatsApp initially started testing this feature on Android earlier this month, and now the same is happening on iOS. The view once option is already available for photos, videos, and voice...
2 months agoWhatsApp is working on a way to let users send text messages that can only be viewed once, similar to the feature already available for photos, videos, and voice notes. According to WABetaInfo, after typing a message in the chat bar, users will be able to select a new "Send as view once" option by long-pressing the Send button. When the message is sent, the recipient will be able to open the message once and read it before it disappears. This means that the recipient will not be able to copy, forward, or share the message after receiving it. WhatsApp will also block screenshots and screen recordings to prevent the content from being preserved in any form. The feature, which is still in development, is said to be coming to individual chats and groups, but it won't be available in channels, where ephemeral messages aren't suitable. WhatsApp is also developing the feature for Android phones. WABetaInfo notes that the new feature will be welcomed by users who currently use a workaround by adding text to an image and sending it as view-once media. The option follows another feature that appeared in beta a few weeks ago that causes disappearing messages to vanish based on a countdown that starts only after they've been read. The feature has yet to roll out more broadly.Tag: WhatsAppThis article, "WhatsApp Working on View-Once Text Messages for iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
2 months agoWhatsApp is said to be preparing a new privacy feature that would allow users to send text messages that disappear after being viewed once. The functionality was spotted in an iOS beta build by WABetaInfo and could be enabled through a new send menu option. The report suggests it will work in private and group chats while limiting actions such as forwarding, copying, screenshotting and screen recording.
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