Users report big drawback in WhatsApp 'View Once' feature, know what it is

The recently launched 'view once' feature of Facebook-owned WhatsApp has a major drawback, which users have reported. Through the 'view once' feature, a user can share disappearing photos and videos with their contacts, and the media files will not be saved in the recipient's phone after they have seen the file. If the same media is not opened for 14 days, the files will get destructed automatically. 

The feature, first launched on Facebook-owned Instagram, has been derived from Snapchat. In the instant messaging app, users can share disappearing photos and videos, which can be viewed only one or two times. However, if the recipient of the photo and videos takes a screenshot of the same, Snapchat informs the sender through notification. 

The feature is not available in WhatsApp, marking the 'View Once' option's biggest drawback. If a recipient of disappearing photos and videos on WhatsApp takes screenshots of the media files, the sender is not informed, no such notifications are sent. So, by this way, the recipient can save photos and videos sent through the 'View Once' feature and are not meant to get saved in the device. This flaw in the 'View Once' feature, can lead to an invasion of privacy by the recipient.

Facebook, at the time of the launch of this feature, had said that not everything we share needs to become a permanent digital record. It had added, "On many phones, simply taking a photo means it will take up space in your camera roll forever. That’s why today we’re rolling out new View Once photos and videos that disappear from the chat after they’ve been opened, giving users even more control over their privacy."