WhatsApp users should avoid taking screenshots of the view once images or videos or else, the company will send you a warnning and even block you.
If you got a grey pop-up message from WhatsApp, then know that it is a warning that you just broke an important rule! WhatsApp is strict when it comes to users’ privacy, whether it is about end-to-end encrypted messages, hiding status, view once, screenshots, or blocking spam messages. In order to make the social media platform more secure, WhatsApp introduced a new feature a few months back that prevents WhatsApp users from taking screenshots in the View Once mode.
That is why it was called WhatsApp View Once feature. But now, after the rollout of this new feature, if users try to go against the rules and take a screenshot of a View Once message, it appears blank for some users, while others are unable to take it at all. A warning will pop-up, which reads “Screenshot was blocked for added privacy. This is a View Once photo so it’s more private. It will disappear from the chat after you close it.” It will further alert that you can’t share, forward, copy, save, or take a screenshot of it.
“View Once is already an incredibly popular way to share photos or media that don’t need to have a permanent digital record. Now we’re enabling screenshot blocking for View Once messages for an added layer of protection,” WhatsApp explained in a blog post.
This adds an extra layer of security to WhatsApp chats. It is really good news for those who usually share sensitive information on WhatsApp and want the receiver to view the shared content only once.
How to avoid WhatsApp Warning
There is just one way of avoiding this WhatsApp warning- you must not breach privacy rules and avoid taking screenshots of any View Once message.
Else, you can remove the View-Once feature from your WhatsApp account. Here is how do so:
- Open the WhatsApp chat.
- Click the contact’s name.
- Click Disappearing Messages.
- If prompted, click Continue.
- Select Off.
- Select which chats you want to disable.
- Click on tick.
