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What “view once” can and can’t do
View once makes a snap disappear after it’s opened. It can’t stop a screenshot. Here’s the honest version.
By Steven Smith ·
When you send a snap on Friendo you can switch on view once. Here’s exactly what that does — and what it can’t.
What it does
- Each friend you sent it to can open it once. A few minutes after they open it, it disappears from their inbox.
- Once everyone has opened it, or it reaches its time limit unopened, the photo files are deleted from our server.
- You can see who has opened it, and delete it for everyone before then.
What it can’t do
No app can stop someone taking a screenshot, or pointing another phone at the screen. We’d rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. So: only send what you’d be comfortable with someone keeping, and never send intimate images to anyone who’s pressuring you.
Why reports still work
If someone sends you something that breaks the rules, you can report it from the snap screen while it’s open. Reporting keeps that snap safe for our moderator, even though it was view-once, so it can be dealt with properly.
And the hidden data?
Whether or not it’s view once, every photo has its hidden data — GPS location, camera details — removed on our server before anyone sees it.