Activation de la fonction de visualisation des images et des vidéos une seule fois dans Messenger

Meta continuously works on adding new features and properties to the « Facebook Messenger » application to enhance the user experience and keep up with the changes happening in its sibling « WhatsApp ». One of the latest features was the ability to send high-quality images, in addition to the features of editing messages after sending them and disabling message read receipts. Recently, a new update for the application was released, introducing the feature « View-Once Media » which allows users to send images and videos that disappear from the chat after the recipient opens them. This feature enhances privacy and gives Facebook Messenger users more control over the content they share, so let’s explore how to use it.

As we mentioned, this feature works as a means to protect privacy when sending media containing sensitive data such as passwords or credit card numbers, and so forth. When activated, you can send photos and videos in Messenger chats and the recipient will only be able to view them once, so after viewing the content, the media will be deleted regardless and will not be saved in the recipient’s photo album or gallery on their phone. The recipient will not be able to forward, share, or copy them, in addition to not being able to take screenshots or screen recordings of your media that are displayed once, but remember that the recipient can still take a picture or video of the media, for example with another camera or device, before it disappears, so the confidentiality of the content cannot be guaranteed even after activating the feature.

Open the Facebook Messenger app on your Android or iPhone, and then go to the conversation where you want to send media that will be viewed only once, whether it is a individual conversation or a group chat. Then click on the « Photos » icon at the bottom next to the text entry field, then select the image or video from the visible photo library. After selecting a specific image from your phone’s photo library, click on the « Edit » button, then at the bottom you will find the « Keep in chat » option, which is the default mode for sending the item in the traditional way, but when you click on this option for the first time, a window will appear explaining what happens when sending media that can be viewed only once, which is the same instructions we explained earlier, so click on « Ok. »

Now make sure to activate the feature by the appearance of the icon containing the number « 1 » surrounded by a clock-like loop, as shown in the image above. Then press the « Send » button to display the message in the chat interface, where the one-time view icon will appear, confirming that a photo or video has been sent, but you will not be able to see the media itself for privacy reasons. Now when the recipient opens the image or video, they will be able to view the content normally, but when they try to take a screenshot of the phone screen or record the screen video, a message will appear stating that this action is prohibited. Note that you will not be notified if the person you are messaging tries to take a screenshot, as is the case in the Telegram application, but Messenger only displays this warning.