WhatsApp is Testing ‘View Once’ Media on Linked Devices

WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, continues to evolve to meet user needs. One feature that users have come to rely on is linked devices, which allows access to a WhatsApp account on a computer, tablet, or even another smartphone. While most functionalities work seamlessly on linked devices, a key limitation has been the inability to open images, videos, or voice messages set to “view once” by the sender. However, it looks like WhatsApp is finally addressing this shortcoming.

New Feature for Beta Users

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.25.3.7) now allows users to view self-destructing images, videos, and voice messages on linked devices. This is a welcome update for those who frequently use WhatsApp across multiple devices.

At the moment, this feature is only available to some beta users but is expected to roll out to more testers in the coming days. While it’s unclear why this functionality wasn’t supported earlier, its introduction will certainly enhance the experience of users who rely on linked devices.

Remaining Limitations

Despite this progress, linked devices on WhatsApp still lack some features. According to a WhatsApp support page, users can’t view live locations or create broadcast lists on linked devices. While there’s no mention of the “view once” content limitation, the new update aims to bridge that gap.

When Will It Be Widely Available?

As of now, the feature is still in testing and hasn’t reached the stable version of the app. If you try to open “view once” content on a linked device, you’ll likely see a message saying, “Waiting for this message. This may take a while.” It’s anyone’s guess when the feature will be officially released to all users, but the progress is promising.

In November 2023, WhatsApp beta also revealed work on enabling users to send “view once” media from linked devices. However, this feature is still not widely available across all platforms. Hopefully, with the ability to view ephemeral content nearing completion, WhatsApp will also roll out the functionality to send it from linked devices soon.

Privacy Concerns and Fixes

In related news, WhatsApp recently addressed a vulnerability that allowed users to open “view once” images and videos even after they had already been viewed. This raised significant privacy concerns, but thankfully, WhatsApp and Meta quickly resolved the issue last week.

Stay tuned for updates as WhatsApp continues to improve its linked device experience, making it easier and more seamless to use across all platforms.