WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will prevent people from taking screenshots and screen recordings of so-called "View Once" content, according to a new report.
Photos that are designed to become unavailable once viewed have historically fallen foul of things like screen recorders and people taking screenshots, but that's something WhatsApp is keen to help with, according to a new WABetaInfo report. To do that, WhatsApp will prevent people from taking screenshots and video recordings of "View Once" content.
Blocked
To do that, WhatsApp will reportedly display an image on-screen that will say that screenshots and screen recordings are blacked "for added privacy." The feature isn't yet ready for people who have the App Store version of the WhatsApp app installed, but it's already being tested by those who have the latest TestFlight build on their devices.
However, as much as this is clearly a positive mood, WABetaInfo is quick to point out that "people may still use a secondary mobile device to get these messages so you should always be careful when sending view once images and videos." Ultimately, if people want to find a way to keep such content, they'll do so.
As for when this new feature will roll out to everyone, WABetaInfo believes that it will reach more users "over the coming weeks," but we'll need to keep our eyes peeled for updates to be sure. This is absolutely a privacy feature that could be beneficial to people who send this kind of content to other people, and it can't come soon enough.
WhatsApp has long been one of the best iPhone apps for people who need to stay in touch with those who don't have access to things like iMessage — namely, those using Android devices or Windows PCs.
