Knowing how to send self-destructing photos and videos in WhatsApp will give you an advantage over your chat buddies.
WhatsApp recently rolled out a new Snapchat-like feature called View Once, which lets you exchange media that is later automatically deleted from all chat logs. To put this feature to use, you have to tap the “View Once” icon each time you’re sharing a photo or a video while using WhatsApp.
As of right now, WhatsApp is one of the world’s most popular chat apps, with an estimated 2 billion users exchanging messages around the globe every single month.
So if you’ve just updated your WhatsApp app and are curious to try the new feature, we’ll explain how it works. Below, we’ve got a guide on how to send disappearing photos and videos in WhatsApp on iOS, Android, and desktop devices.
One thing to note, however, is that, unlike Snapchat, WhatsApp doesn’t notify the sender if the receiving user takes a screenshot of the photo or video, so there’s no guarantee they won’t be able to save a copy.
The latest privacy feature to make its way to the platform is “View Once” media; you can now send photos and videos that will disappear after they’ve been opened once. The feature is now available to all WhatsApp users around the world, so let’s take a look at how to send self-destructing photos and videos on WhatsApp.
Related: How to Disable Blue Ticks on WhatsApp (aka read receipts)
2 big Advantages of Self-Destructing Photos and Videos
Self-destructing photos and videos can come in handy at many times. They help you to keep your privacy while ensuring that the other person has seen that photo or video once. However, it didn’t guarantee you that they will not take screenshots and save them. Two big advantages of self-destructing photos and videos are as below:
- Self-destructing photos and videos help you to send important data to others, without hurting your privacy.
- If you know about this update, you will get a privilege over your chat fellows.
How to send Self-Destructing Photos and Videos in WhatsApp on iOS
- In the WhatsApp app for iPhone, tap the chat with the person to whom you’d like to send a disappearing photo or video. Select the Camera icon to proceed.
- Next, tap the circular shutter icon to take a picture or hold it to record a video. Alternatively, select the gallery icon to send existing media.
- Once you’ve captured or selected a photo or video, tap the “View Once” icon. This should be located next to the “Add a caption” box near the bottom of the screen.
- If this is your first time using the feature, a new window should open, describing how View Once works. At this stage, you can read more about it by tapping the “Learn More” option or select “OK” to finalize the process.
- Finally, tap the “Send” icon and you’re all done.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to repeat the above steps each time you send a new View Once photo or video.
How to send Self-Destructing Photos and Videos in WhatsApp on Android
- Similar to iOS, in the WhatsApp app for Android, tap the chat with the person to whom you’d like to send a disappearing photo or video. Select the Camera icon to proceed.
- You can either take a new picture, record a video or select existing media from your photo library. Once you’ve selected or captured the picture or video, go ahead and tap the “View Once” icon, as shown in the screenshot below.
- If this is your first time using the feature, a new window should pop up describing how View Once works. At this stage, you can read more about it by tapping the “Learn More” option or select “OK” to finalize the process.
Otherwise, tap the Send icon as shown below. All done! Keep in mind that you’ll have to repeat the above steps each time you send a new View Once photo or video.
How to send Self-Destructing Photos and Videos in WhatsApp on Desktop
- In WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop, click the chat with the person to whom you’d like to send a disappearing photo or video. Select the “Attach” icon to proceed.
- At this stage, you can decide whether you’d like to capture a new picture or video using your webcam, or select existing media from a folder on your computer.
- If this is your first time using the feature, a new window should pop up describing how View Once works. At this stage, you can read more about it by clicking the “Learn More” option or select “OK” to finalize the process.
- Finally, click the Send icon as shown below. All done!
Keep in mind that you’ll have to repeat the above steps each time you send a new View Once photo or video.
How secure are Self-Destructing Photos and Videos in WhatsApp?
While sending ephemeral media tends to give an illusion of privacy because the photos or videos will be deleted from the chat, that doesn’t mean that your media is truly private. For starters, there’s nothing stopping someone from taking screenshots, screen recordings, photos, or videos of the media you send using WhatsApp’s View Once feature.
WhatsApp also notes that encrypted media files could be stored on the company’s servers for a few weeks after being sent. Also, if someone reports the message to WhatsApp, the company will have access to the disappearing photo or video you sent using the messaging service.
If the photo or video has been opened, it won’t be included in WhatsApp backups and as a result, it cannot be restored either. However, unopened media files sent with “View Once” enabled will be backed up and these can be restored from backups too.
At The End
There is also no way to alert the sender if the recipient takes a screenshot, screen recording, or a picture using another device of the disappearing photo or video, WhatsApp cautioned, reminding users to “only send photos or videos with View Once media enabled to trusted individuals.”
