Back in 2021, WhatsApp—perhaps the most widely used text messaging app in the world—announced a then-new privacy feature called ‘view once‘, which gave users the option to send videos and photos that can be opened only once. This tool gave users more control over their privacy, and now the chat app is rolling out the ‘view once’ option to voice messages too.
say it once, play it once ☝️ now you can select “view once” when sending a voice note for an added layer of protection 🔓 pic.twitter.com/xVWcuBLfI4
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) December 7, 2023
“For reading out your credit card details to a friend, or when you’re planning a surprise, you can now also share sensitive information over voice message with added peace of mind.
For consistency with View Once photos and videos, View Once voice messages are clearly marked with the “one-time” icon and can only be played one time,” – WhatsApp
If you’re keen on using it for yourself, here’s how to do so. You can first head over to an individual or group chat, tap and hold on the microphone icon then swipe upwards. That will lock the recording UI in place, and you’ll then get an option to select the ‘view once’ icon, giving you the pop up notification ‘voice message set to view once’. You can then send your voice message as normal, and the recipient(s) will only be able to open and listen to the voice message once.
There are some things WhatsApp notes though regarding the use of the ‘view once’ feature. The text messaging platform advises all users to only send ‘view once’ media and voice messages to people you trust, and that while the recipients can’t screenshot or download your ‘view once’ messages, they can still record it with other devices before it disappears. Also, if the recipient reports your ‘view once’ messages, it will still end up being sent to WhatsApp.
The ‘view once’ feature for voice messages is already available for WhatsApp users everywhere, but if you don’t see the option have no worry as WhatsApp is still rolling it out worldwide; you can also update your app on your smartphone.
