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WhatsApp single view: Photos or video "of something confidential like a WiFi password"
Photo: WhatsApp
WhatsApp is introducing a new feature this week that the company calls "One-Time View."
Users can use it to mark photos and videos with a one before sending them.
In the case of the recipients, they then disappear from the chat after they have been opened once.
All that remains is an indication that the content has already been opened.
But what it was all about can no longer be seen.
The function continues the principle of self-erasing messages.
WhatsApp had already introduced the function at the end of 2020.
Such messages are automatically deleted after a week.
Conceivable scenarios for the new function are photos or videos "of clothes that you are currently trying on in the store", it says in a blog post, "or of something confidential like a WLAN password".
The one-time view also relieves the available smartphone storage space, argues the Facebook subsidiary.
However, users should take into account that the function cannot prevent a screenshot or a picture of the screen with another device.
You should therefore only send sensitive content to people you trust.
WhatsApp gets access to content when it's reported
WhatsApp advises that one-time view content "cannot be forwarded, saved, starred or shared".
If they are not opened within 14 days of receipt, they will automatically disappear from the chat.
A media file marked for single view can be restored from a backup in iCloud or Google Drive, provided it has not been opened when the backup was created.
Otherwise it will not be saved at all when the backup copies are made.
The one-time view photos and videos are end-to-end encrypted just like all other WhatsApp content.
The company only has access to it if the recipient reports a problematic media file to WhatsApp.
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