WhatsApp Tests View-Once Text Messages to Enhance Privacy
WhatsApp is developing a "send as view once" feature for text messages, allowing recipients to read content only one time before it disappears. The company aims to block copying, forwarding, and screenshots, aligning with privacy features already in place for media and seen in competing apps. This update is currently in beta testing for iOS and Android.
Key points
- WhatsApp is testing a "send as view once" option for text messages, similar to existing features for photos and videos.
- Recipients will be able to read view-once text messages only one time before they disappear.
- The feature will prevent recipients from copying, forwarding, or sharing the messages and will block screenshots.
- This functionality is currently in beta for both iOS and Android versions of the app.
- The move brings WhatsApp's text messaging capabilities in line with other Meta apps and competitors like Telegram and Snapchat.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is reportedly testing a new privacy feature that will allow users to send text messages that can only be viewed once. This "send as view once" option, observed in beta versions for both iOS and Android, mirrors existing functionalities for photos, videos, and voice notes within the app.
Upon activating the feature by long-pressing the send button, recipients will be able to open and read the text message a single time. Following this, the message will automatically disappear. To further enhance privacy, WhatsApp intends to prevent recipients from copying, forwarding, or sharing the content, and will also block the ability to take screenshots or screen recordings.
This development brings WhatsApp's text messaging capabilities closer to those offered by other popular platforms, including Meta's own Messenger and Instagram, as well as competitors like Snapchat and Telegram. Users have previously resorted to workarounds, such as sending text within an image file, to achieve similar ephemeral message effects. The feature is still under development and a wider rollout date has not yet been announced.
Sources
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