WhatsApp is rolling out View Once mode for Voice Notes

WhatsApp, yesterday, started to roll out the ability for users to share voice notes in “view once” mode. The Instant-messaging service has been developing this feature since March, and is now rolling it out to beta testers on iOS and Android. 

Users will share voice notes with view once mode enabled for added privacy. It works just like the ‘View Once’ Disappearing Photos and Videos, the platform introduced in 2021. The shared voice notes will contain a new layer of privacy and they cannot be saved, forwarded, and exported. 

Lucky testers with the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.22.4 update from the Google Play Store and the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.21.1.73 update from the TestFlight app, will see a new view once icon within the chat bar while recording a voice note with a lock.

When you tap this icon, the voice note is sent in a one-time view mode. This means the recipient can’t save, forward, or record it. Once you send it in this mode, you and the recipient can’t listen to it again. This keeps the information private. 

This mode makes it less likely for someone to listen to your voice note without permission, adding more privacy for sensitive info.

Again, this can only benefit scammers or those who like to keep their WhatsApp conversations private. Disappearing messages come with some benefits when chats tend to amass huge amounts of data, putting pressure on your smartphone’s storage space. Disappearing messages can get rid of this clutter, making them useful for anyone wishing to reduce their digital footprint.

I frown at contacts who use the “View Once” features for images. It just tells me you’re hiding something. But just like privacy can mean different things for people who prefer to send a view once media, so also by keeping a simple voice note can be a life saver, just like in the movie: The Wildflower.