WhatsApp Appears To Have Fixed View-Once Media Bug That Let Users View It Indefinitely

As per reports, WhatsApp has released a fix for the bug that allowed iOS users to bypass the 'View Once' restriction and view disappearing media multiple times.

The flaw reportedly affected only iOS versions of the app, leaving Android users unaffected.

Source : Unsplash/Mariia Shalabaieva

WhatsApp introduced its 'View Once' feature for photos and videos in August 2021, later expanding it to voice messages in December 2023. To activate this feature for any media, users must tap the '1' icon before sending. Media shared with the 'View Once' option enabled is designed to disappear after being viewed or played a single time by the recipient. However, concerns recently emerged online about a bug that allowed indefinite access to such media.

A new report suggests that WhatsApp has quietly addressed this issue.

WhatsApp Fixes View-Once Media Bug

According to Android Police, WhatsApp has released a fix for the bug that allowed iOS users to bypass the 'View Once' restriction and view disappearing media multiple times. The flaw reportedly affected only iOS versions of the app, leaving Android users unaffected.

The report explains that iOS users could exploit this bug by going to Settings, selecting Storage and Data, and then navigating to Manage Storage. From there, they could locate the contact who shared the disappearing media, tap on their name, and view the storage details. By sorting the media by 'Newest,' the previously opened 'View Once' media would reappear at the top, enabling repeated access despite the feature's intended one-time viewing restriction.

The team at Android Police was able to replicate the issue and access "view once" media multiple times as of Thursday, January 23. However, they reported being unable to do so this week, leading to the conclusion that Meta quietly rolled out a fix for the bug over the weekend. The company has yet to issue a public statement regarding the matter.

Interestingly, a similar issue was previously reported with WhatsApp Web in September 2024. At the time, users of the Web version, who are generally not permitted to view "view once" media, found themselves able to both view and save such media. This bug was subsequently addressed with a fix rolled out in December of the same year.