As of today, Whatsapp users can only view images once. But although the Messenger was a long time coming with the feature, the implementation failed.
Not every photo is meant to last – especially not on messengers like Whatsapp. Some images or motifs should only be caught by the other person as a glimpse, but not be able to save them on the smartphone. Almost ten years ago, the fact that pictures disappeared again was one of the most important reasons for Snapchat’s success. Now the function is also coming to Whatsapp. But unfortunately not particularly well thought out.
Since tonight, the messenger has been rolling out the function on the server side. If you are already using the latest version, you don’t have to do anything to be able to use it. If you select an image for sending, you can now tap the circled “1” in the text field to make the photo available only once. After that it will be shown in the chat as no longer viewable. Whatsapp cites the sending of a WiFi password as an example. As a rule, however, it should concern other motives.
No protective measure
However, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. Unlike other messengers, Whatsapp does not take any steps to protect the images that are sent once. While Snapchat notifies the user when the picture is saved by screenshot or screen recording, WhatsApp lacks such a function. This is particularly annoying because the images in the chat are explicitly marked as being viewable only once. So if a person wants to save the picture despite the supposed volatility, they can simply prepare for it before viewing it and start the screen recording function, for example. This makes the function much less discreet than Whatsapp makes it appear.
In view of this gap, it is all the more surprising how long Whatsapp needed to implement the one-time images. Even before Facebook took over Whatsapp in 2014, Snapchat scored particularly well with younger users thanks to its function. Although it was often associated with sexting, many also appreciated the evanescence of the photos because it allowed for a more imperfect portrayal of themselves than was the case on other social media. Later Snapchat functions like Stories were taken over by Facebook much faster. And even within the group itself, other services were faster: Although the chat function on the group’s sister company Instagram is only an accessory, users of the image and video network have been able to make their chat photos disappear since last year.
It is quite surprising that WhatsApp is so sloppy when it comes to function. Facebook has been fighting for the image of its messenger for months. Since a new user guideline was to be implemented at the beginning of the year, many users saw their privacy at risk and switched to alternatives such as Signal. Whatsapp postponed the introduction of the controversial guidelines several times. With a secure implementation of the one-time function, the messenger might have regained some trust.
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