WhatsApp rolling out self destructing voice messages globally

APK

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In yet another move highlighting its focus on security and privacy, WhatsApp is rolling out support for View Once voice messages globally, a couple of months after the feature was released to the beta version of the app on Android and iOS.

View Once is what WhatsApp calls the general option in the app for sending photos and videos that can only be viewed by the recipient once and cannot be screenshotted or saved, which was first introduced in 2021. Now, it is being extended to voice messages (though perhaps calling it Listen Once in this case may have been more appropriate?).

Just like View Once photos and videos, a View Once voice message will have a “one-time” icon next to it and will self-destruct on the recipient's device immediately after it has been played back. As you would expect, this will apply to voice messages shared in both individual and group chats. End-to-end encryption will be applied to these messages as well, though that won't stop WhatsApp from getting access to them if someone reports a one-time voice message.

View Once voice messages started rolling out on December 7 and will take a few days to reach all WhatsApp users around the world. Both the mobile and web/PC versions of WhatsApp will get the feature.

Abhijeet Mishra - Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

First Samsung device: SGH-D500

Abhijeet's writing career started with guides for custom firmware for Samsung devices (including the original Galaxy S), and he moved to SamMobile in mid-2013 and worked up the ranks to Editor-in-chief. In addition to phones and mobile devices, his interests include gaming on both PC and console, PC hardware, and spending countless hours on YouTube watching videos on tech, movies, games, politics, and internet dramas.

APK WhatsApp

WhatsApp rolling out self destructing voice messages globally

Abhijeet Mishra - Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

First Samsung device: SGH-D500

You might also like

Samsung phones get one more way to scan documents

Missed too many WhatsApp messages? You can now read their AI summary

WhatsApp Web: A simple guide on how to use the web app

WhatsApp brings more ways to express yourself via status update