While taking photos or videos on our phones has become such a big part of our lives, not everything we share needs to become a permanent digital record. 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.

For example, you might send a View Once photo of some new clothes you’re trying on at a store, a quick reaction to a moment in time, or something sensitive like a Wi-Fi password.  

As with all the personal messages you send on WhatsApp, View Once media is protected by end-to-end encryption so WhatsApp cannot see them. They will also be clearly marked with a new “one-time” icon. 

After the media has been viewed, the message will appear as “opened” to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time. 

We’re rolling out the feature to everyone starting this week and are looking forward to feedback on this new way to send private and disappearing media. 

You can read more about how to try it out here.