WhatsApp introduced the ‘View Once’ feature in August 2021 to protect the privacy of photos and videos and save the app’s memory.
A photo or video sent under this feature disappears from the chat once it is opened.
But now audio messages are also being made a part of this feature by the company.
According to WABetaInfo, a site that tracks updates for the Meta-owned messaging app, the feature has been hinted at in the new beta version for Android and iOS devices.
Those Android smartphones will not be able to use WhatsApp from October 24
With this feature, users will be able to send audio messages that will automatically disappear once played.
According to the report, when a user records an audio message, an icon with the number 1 written on it will appear, and clicking on it will enable the View Once mode for the audio message.
With Once Mode enabled, the person to whom the message is sent will not be able to forward or save it but will disappear once it has been heard.
This feature will allow users to share sensitive information without the risk of leakage.
The audio message is also being added to the video once / Photo courtesy of WABetaInfo
In fact, when the View Once feature was introduced, the company said that the feature could be used to share photos of Wi-Fi login details or other sensitive details.
WhatsApp already has a disappearing messages feature in which audio messages disappear after a specified time.
However the new feature of View Once can be used for a specific message instead of the entire chat, which will disappear once viewed.
This feature is currently being worked on and it is hard to say when it will be available to all users.
