WhatsApp has been testing some additional features for its iOS app, including the ability to view photos and videos once sent, as well as a new, redesigned in-app notification.
According to the well-informed blog WABetaInfo says that after recently rolling out the feature to Android beta testers, WhatsApp will finally make the "View Once" feature available to iOS beta users with version 2.21.140.9. This feature will allow users to use the Snapchat-like feature to send photos and videos that delete themselves after they are opened. Unlike Snapchat, WhatsApp will not transmit the information whether someone has taken a screenshot or not.
WhatsApp: This is why there is no screenshot warning
The reason is that there is no way to ensure whether a screenshot has been taken or not - according to WABetaInfo. Clever users could bypass it in various ways, so this function would simply be pointless. This is how the new feature is described:
When you send the media, it already disappears from your phone and it will also disappear from the recipient's phone once they open it. You will be notified when the recipient has opened the photo/video as the bubble message will show "Opened". Other details such as who opened your photo/video are available in the message info.
Another feature introduced in this beta is a redesigned in-app notification. With this update, users can now see more details in the notification banner.
The in-app notification has also been revised
The user can now expand the in-app notification to view the chat preview: The chat preview is not static like the one that appears when you look at a chat cell, so the user can scroll up and down in the view to see older and newer messages.
Although the in-app notification has been redesigned, WhatsApp explains that a message you read through it will not be marked as "read". The chat must be opened directly for this to happen. It remains unclear when the update will be made available to all WhatsApp users. However, it should not take too long - after all, the beta phase is starting. (Photo by Unsplash / Jeremy Zero)
