As the world’s leading messaging company, the industry views every WhatsApp update with keen interest, as it continues to level up its 2 billion users. The latest update is a big update, filling a big gap, and for millions of users, it comes at just the right time.
There is a great irony in the world of messaging, which is that WhatsApp is owned by Meta, the world’s most famous data collection machine, and yet has continued to push its privacy and security agenda despite this dilemma. Recent updates, such as personal identification numbers (PINs) for secret messages, continue this trend.
WhatsApp’s trick has been to take a somewhat independent and tough stance within the Meta stable – and for that reason, it remains my recommendation for a daily messenger, despite Signal’s better security credentials, and against the backdrop of Google’s new security engine and Apple’s ongoing confusion over what it’s trying to achieve with iMessage.
Let’s remember that it was WhatsApp that popularized end-to-end encryption which is now on the negotiating table for the rest of the industry. More recently, it was WhatsApp that introduced the ability to view messages, edit and delete texts all at once, on a real scale. I’m sure there are many who are grateful that junk messages are not forever out of their reach to recover or repair.
But the gap in this privacy arsenal was voice messages. These are more popular than ever, easy to send on the go, and provide a viral snapshot of the voice message.
But unlike other messages, these messages were not recoverable yet. But WhatsApp has just fixed this issue, finally introducing the ‘view once’ voice messages it promised a short while ago.
How to send a “View Once” voice message.
And for millions of us, the timing is perfect. Just as we start into the holiday season, (dare I say) alcohol-filled work nights, extended time with friends and families that extend into the new year, and the chance of making an unintended mistake, or sending a voice message we’ve been meaning to miss. Instead of not hanging around endlessly, it’s now fixed.
“To read your credit card details to a friend,” WhatsApp suggested in a blog post, or when you’re planning a surprise, you can now also share sensitive information via voice messages with more peace of mind. For consistency with “View Once” photos and videos, “View Once” voice messages are clearly marked with a “One Time” icon and can only be played once.
I can think of other, more sensitive audio messages that are best listened to just once — especially in the world of dating and relationships, which has undoubtedly been the primary beneficiary of simply viewing photos and videos. There’s also no need to wander around in December 2023, hanging out in people’s backups and chat threads for the next decade or two.
2024 promises to be a big year for messaging innovation, as the battle between these large-scale platforms heats up. iMessage has promised some form of RCS compliance, and finally, Google is now adopting end-to-end default encryption for its messaging app with a slew of new features.
Against the backdrop of EU-led efforts to open up and integrate these platforms, WhatsApp’s continued security innovation is very welcome.
“This is just another example of our continued innovation in privacy,” WhatsApp says, and I agree.
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The world of mobile messaging is about to undergo a significant change as Apple iPhone and Google Android users receive an exciting new update from WhatsApp. The update promises to bring a host of important new features and improvements to the popular messaging app, revolutionizing the way users communicate with each other. With a focus on enhancing user experience and delivering a more streamlined messaging platform, this update is sure to be a game-changer for WhatsApp users everywhere.