WhatsApp “View Once” Feature Exposed, iPhone Users Could Reopen Disappearing Media

WhatsApp’s “View Once” feature, designed for privacy, recently faced a major security flaw, allowing iPhone users to reaccess disappearing media. The issue, first exposed by cybersecurity researcher Ramshath, revealed that users could easily retrieve “View Once” photos and videos through their phone’s storage settings.

The bug only affected iOS users, but given the vast number of iPhone users worldwide, it raised serious privacy concerns. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, acknowledged the issue but stated they were already working on a fix. An update (iOS 25.2.3) has since been released to patch the vulnerability.

This isn’t the first time WhatsApp’s disappearing media feature has been compromised. In September 2024, researchers found that “View Once” files could be accessed if users had a direct URL to the content on WhatsApp’s servers. While that issue was eventually resolved, recurring security lapses raise concerns about the reliability of WhatsApp’s privacy features.

With Meta branding itself as a privacy-first platform, repeated security flaws in features designed for ephemeral messaging could erode user trust. Experts recommend updating WhatsApp immediately to avoid potential privacy risks.