Can You Save WhatsApp View Once Photos via Screenshot and Screen Recording? Will WhatsApp notify you?

Facebook just released another new feature for Whatsapp that seems to be “inspired” by the offerings of Snapchat. Whatsapp now allows you to send ‘View Once’ photos and videos to your contacts. These media files can only be viewed once by the recipient which is a great way to share sensitive information or information that you only wish to share for the time being. However, if you are a Whatsapp user then you are probably concerned about screenshots and screen recordings? Will recipients be able to bypass ‘View Once’ restrictions by screenshotting your photos? Let’s find out!

Can the recipient take a screenshot or screen record ‘View Once’ media files?

Unfortunately, yes, while Whatsapp was able to bring over the ability to send ‘View Once’ photos and videos, the company hasn’t brought over the screenshot/screen recording detection feature from Snapchat. This means that any recipient will be able to simply screenshot or record your screen while playing the ‘View Once’ media and then it will be stored permanently on your device. As you won’t be notified when this happens, Whatsapp recommends that you use this feature only with your trusted loved ones.

Will you be notified when a screenshot or screen recording is initiated?

Sadly no, you won’t be notified when someone takes a screenshot or starts screen recording your sent ‘View Once’ media. Whatsapp does not have any in-built screenshot detection features like Snapchat which hugely compromises the privacy of your ‘View Once’ messages. As the feature is still in its beta phases, we recommend you use it cautiously and wisely and only share sensitive information only with people you fully trust. However, things are not all that bad, Whatsapp lets you know once a ‘View Once’ media file has been opened. You can use this feature to track who has opened your ‘View Once’ files for now. In case you have sent such a file in a Whatsapp group, you will find a list of all the group members that have opened the file in the message details section of your ‘View Once’ media file.

Can you prevent people from taking screenshots or recording the screen?

Sadly no, you can not prevent people from taking screenshots or recording their screen when you send them a ‘View Once’ photo or video. Ideally, this should not be the case and Whatsapp should be notifying you when somebody takes a screenshot or initiates a screen recording. But as this is a beta feature still in its early phases, maybe the company is just testing out its waters as of yet before making any major changes to the app. Additionally, there are no reliable third-party services that can help notify you of the same, hence it is of paramount importance that you share sensitive information with only trusted people using this feature.

We hope you were able to learn more about screenshotting and screen recording ‘View Once’ media in Whatsapp using the post above. If you have any more questions or face any issues, feel free to reach out to us using the comments section below.