View once
View once lets a recipient open a photo or video just one time; afterwards it can no longer be called up in the conversation.
What is View once?
View once is a chat feature for photos and sometimes videos: the recipient can open the content only a single time. After that it can no longer be called up in the conversation. It suits pictures that should not stay permanently in the chat history or in the other person’s gallery, such as a photo of a note, a set of directions or a receipt that someone only needs to glance at.
How it works and what it is for
Instead of keeping the picture in the history for good, the app marks it as viewable once. After the first opening it is hidden, and depending on the service it is also removed from the server. That helps leave fewer traces: nothing piles up that could later end up in a backup, in a photo library or with someone who picks up the device. It fits the idea of data minimisation: what is only needed briefly does not have to stay.
What to keep in mind
View once is not protection against the recipient. Anyone who sees the photo can take a picture of the screen with a second device. Even when an app blocks screenshots, that cannot be enforced without gaps. So do not send anything that must not reach other hands, and do not rely on something being truly gone. If in doubt, agree with the other person how you want to handle such pictures.
On Friendstime
In the Android app, you can send a photo as View once in a private chat; in the browser, such a photo can be neither sent nor opened. The recipient can open it exactly once; on the first viewing, the file is deleted from the server. In the Android app, screenshots and screen recordings are blocked while a View once photo is displayed. Nobody can prevent someone from photographing the screen with a second device, though.
Frequently asked questions
Can the recipient still keep a View once photo?
It cannot be ruled out technically: anyone who sees the photo can photograph the screen with a second device. In the Friendstime Android app, screenshots and screen recordings are blocked while a View once photo is on screen. Only send what you could live with having in other hands.
How often can a photo be opened on Friendstime?
Exactly once. On the first viewing, the file is deleted from the server.
How is it different from disappearing messages?
Disappearing messages delete themselves after a set time. View once applies to a single photo and ends with the first opening.
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