WhatsApp is officially giving users the ability to send temporary voice messages to their contacts.
We say “official” because this feature has been around for about two months, although it was in a beta state. People in the beta program were the only ones who had access at the time. Don't worry about feeling like you've missed anything, because the View Once messages, as they're called, function exactly the same as before. Meta made no changes with the official edition.
You start by pressing and holding the capture button and then swiping up to lock it. Recordings must be locked first before the View Once icon (the number one in the circle) appears in the bottom right corner. Tap it once to activate it and a timer will be added to the message. Hit Send and you're done
A few limitations
From that moment on, the recipient has two weeks to listen to the recording. You'll know they've listened when the little receipt mark appears below the message. If they ignore it all the time, WhatsApp will automatically delete it. Please note that you cannot save, share or forward these self-destructing voice messages.
It is possible to restore a recording from a chat room that has been backed up, but only if it has never been opened, according to a page on the WhatsApp support website. If it's already been heard, you're out of luck. Another one will have to be sent.
The update is currently being rolled out globally to all WhatsApp users on Android and iOS devices. Keep an eye out for the patch when it arrives in the coming days. We reached out to Meta to ask if there are any plans to add the same feature to the desktop app. If you're not aware, the company has given WhatsApp on desktop the ability to send self-destructing images and videos. It may also get support for temporary voice messages. This story will be updated at a later date.
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