The feature that allowed desktop users of WhatsApp to transmit view-once films to contacts is currently being restored. Some users took issue with the instant messaging software owned by Meta last year when they discovered that sending and viewing photographs and videos via the web version was no longer possible. WhatsApp has since changed its mind, seeing how crucial the view once function is to improving user privacy.
With WhatsApp’s view once function, users may share short-lived material without it getting saved to the recipient’s gallery, just like with Snapchat. Sharing private or sensitive content is made easier with this function, which makes sure the media can’t be saved permanently on the recipient’s device and is only available for a short period of time.
Wabetainfo reports that WhatsApp is now re-enabling the see once functionality for images and videos in desktop programs running on Windows and macOS. With the use of this feature, users can send brief media that vanishes after the recipient views it once. On WhatsApp for Windows, the graphics editor’s caption bar is where you may enable the user privacy option. Furthermore, users can utilize the capability on macOS and linked devices
Photos and videos sent with the “view once” option cannot be shared, starred, saved, or forwarded. If the recipient has read receipts enabled, the sender can only ascertain whether the recipient has viewed a “view once” photo or video. After 14 days of transmission, if the recipient does not open the photo or video, it will automatically disappear from the chat.
Apart from its temporal aspect, the “view once” function requires the sender to specifically choose to “view once” each time they transfer material of this kind. When content is sent with the “view once” option, it is only meant to be viewed once and cannot be shared, saved, or forwarded. The “view once” photo or video vanishes from the chat and is no longer available to the recipient after they have opened it. “View once” media is not included in backups, and restoration is not feasible. Furthermore, it is impossible for the sender to know if the recipient has taken a screenshot of the “view once” image or video.
Concurrently, WhatsApp is working on a new feature that would allow Android device users’ profiles to be displayed during talks. Even when the contact is offline, this profile information will be visible, taking the place of the ‘Last Seen’ timestamp, if it is available.
Users will now be able to view the profile information within the chat rather than having to navigate to the chat information screen. Even when a person is offline, you may still view their profile information with ease using this method.
The new functionality also increases exposure in the event that people have updated their profile information recently. This makes sure that everyone else in the conversation is informed of any changes right away. For instance, if someone modifies their profile image, everyone else in the conversation will be able to see it right away.