What is the Smiley on View Once Photo on WhatsApp?

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August 04, 2021

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3 min read

After testing disappearing or ‘View Once’ photos for a while, WhatsApp has finally released the feature to the public — to non-beta users. It is an interesting and commendable addition to WhatsApp’s repertoire, allowing you to protect your privacy in the best possible way, even when you are sending images to someone you trust.

WhatsApp has also added a secret little Easter egg to the View Once feature, and today, we will tell you what it means.

What does View Once Photo mean on WhatsApp?

‘View Once’ is a new Snapchat-inspired feature on WhatsApp that allows you to send images that auto-expire after a single viewing. For example, if you want to send someone something sensitive, you probably would benefit from the ‘View Once’ feature.

It was rolled out to WhatsApp beta quite a while ago but has only been included as part of the public build.

How to get the emoji to appear

Getting the Easter egg is dependent on the ‘View Once’ feature. So, if you do not have that, you will have to update the app to the latest version and try again. Now, to add a ‘View Once’ photo, open any conversation and tap on the ‘Camera’ icon.

Now, select a photo from your gallery. Then, tap on the ‘1’ icon at the bottom left.

It would turn green when activated.

Tap on the send button to let the image fly.

The image you sent would be shown as “Photo” or as “Opened” after the photo’s been open by the recipient. To get the emoji to appear, double-tap on the ‘View Once’ message. The emoji will pop up for a fleeting second before disappearing.

What does the emoji mean?

Upon closer inspection, it is clear that WhatsApp has gone with the “shush/shh” — a yellow face with their index finger over lips, asking you to keep quiet — emoji for the Easter egg. Since ‘View Once’ is a privacy-centric feature, we think WhatsApp developers have put their minds together to come up with this hilarious Easter egg.

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