WhatsApp has started letting some Android beta testers send text messages that can be opened only once. The feature is in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.45.6, according to WABetaInfo, which reported the rollout on November 12. Until now, view once covered only photos, videos and voice messages.
This is a beta feature, and only some testers have it so far. WABetaInfo says it will reach more people over the coming weeks. WhatsApp hasn’t announced a date for the stable app, and the feature could still change before then.
How to send a view-once text on WhatsApp
- Type your message in a chat.
- Press and hold the Send button.
- Pick View once from the menu that appears. The message goes out straight away.
The same menu also offers scheduling, but you can’t schedule a view-once text. WABetaInfo says a short tutorial toast appears at the bottom of the chat the first time the feature is available.
What the recipient sees
The text doesn’t appear in the chat right away. The recipient taps it to open the message on a separate screen. Once they close it, it can’t be reopened, and an “opened” indicator takes its place. With read receipts turned on, the sender can see that it was opened. After that, neither side can view the text again.
While the message is open, WhatsApp restricts what can be done with it:
- No copying, forwarding or saving: the usual tap-and-hold actions are missing.
- Screenshots blocked: screen captures and screen recordings don’t work while the text is on screen.
What view once doesn’t protect against
Blocking screenshots doesn’t make a message private. Anyone with a second phone can still photograph the screen, as GSMArena notes. WABetaInfo acknowledged the same gap when it first found the feature in June. Treat view once as a way to avoid leaving text in a chat log, not as a secure channel.
WABetaInfo suggests the feature for sharing a password or a one-time code. We’d drop the second idea entirely. A one-time code should never go to anyone, and requests for one are a standard scam tactic. For passwords, a password manager’s sharing feature is the safer route. View once makes more sense for something like a door code, a gift idea or a note you’d rather not leave sitting in the chat.
How to try it, and what’s next
You’ll need to join the WhatsApp beta program on Google Play and update to version 2.26.45.6 or later. Even then, the option only shows up for some testers for now.
WABetaInfo first spotted view-once text in development in beta 2.26.22.7 back in June, when it couldn’t be tested. At that time, it said an iOS version was also in development, but there’s no word on an iPhone rollout. It’s the latest of several changes in testing, after the Contacts tab that reached Android beta earlier this month.
Sources: WABetaInfo, WABetaInfo (June), GSMArena
