In future, a “1” may appear next to WhatsApp voice messages. The symbol is also visible when recording. We’ll tell you what it’s all about.
If you record or receive a voice message on WhatsApp, you may soon see a new symbol next to it. It is a small one in a circle. Some of you may have already seen this symbol in connection with photos and videos in Messenger. What is it all about?
If you tap on the “1” before sending the voice message, the message will be automatically destroyed after your contact plays it for the first time. In the chat, the “1” symbolizes that the received voice message is a message that can only be played once. If you are currently in a noisy environment, it is therefore better not to play it, but to wait until you are in a quiet environment again.
Voice messages can only be played once
WhatsApp introduced the so-called “one-time view” for photos and videos in 2021, and the messenger is now extending the feature to voice messages in December 2023, as announced by WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart on his WhatsApp channel. However, the function is not yet available in the app. According to the messenger, it will only be introduced worldwide “in the next few days”. It may already be available in the WhatsApp beta. The feature was already spotted here in October.
Even if the function suggests a high level of privacy, you should be aware that recipients can record the message with another cell phone when playing it back, for example, and thus duplicate it. This risk also exists when sending pictures and videos for one-time viewing. So continue to think carefully about what you share and with whom.
You cannot yet send simple text messages for one-time viewing. However, these can also be deleted automatically after a certain time. All you have to do is activate the “self-deleting messages” function for a chat or set a standard message duration for all chats.