• One-time-only texts is person can only be viewed once.
• New functionality spotted in WhatsApp beta v2.22.25.20.
• The app’s stable version will have the feature by next month.

A one-time-only text message is one that the other person can only look at once. You can’t copy, save, or send this text message. Also, it might not be possible for people to take a screenshot of it. This feature is like Snapchat’s texting, where you can choose to have messages disappear as soon as the user reads them and closes the chat.

In WhatsApp beta v2.22.25.20 for Android, the new feature was found to be in the works. WABetaInfo shared a screenshot of the feature, and as you can see, if the “view-once” feature for a text message is turned on, the default send button will change to one that has a lock in it. Photos and videos can already be shared with a “view-once” option, and view-once chat messages will also look the same, with “1 Text” written in the preview.

At the moment, WhatsApp has a feature called “Messages that Disappear.” When this feature is turned on, all messages sent after that will disappear from a chat after a certain amount of time. People can choose between 24 hours, 7 days, and 90 days. But this feature gives people enough time and ways to share messages (they can copy, forward, or take a screenshot). Even though this feature is supposed to make things more private, it doesn’t do much.

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People won’t be able to copy, forward, or take a screenshot of view-once messages, so they will be different. This will give you peace of mind that other people won’t be able to read or share private texts. But this feature isn’t foolproof, because someone could still take a picture of the message with another smartphone or a camera. You can expect the feature to be added to the app’s stable version in the coming months.