WhatsApp to STOP you from taking screenshots of chats

With several mobile applications to choose from and most of them having or requiring access to your personal information, protecting privacy is something very important. The app had earlier introduced the View Once feature through which users can send photos and videos that disappear from their WhatsApp chat after the recipient has opened them once. However, it was possible to take a screenshot of the same. But now, in order to provide added privacy and security, WhatsApp has announced that it will be introducing a new feature which will ensure that users will not be able to take screenshots of View Once messages.

The feature is currently under testing and will be rolled out soon. Informing about the same WhatsApp said in a blog post, "View Once is already an incredibly popular way to share photos or media that don’t need to have a permanent digital record. Now we’re enabling screenshot blocking for View Once messages for an added layer of protection. We’re testing this feature now and are excited to roll it out to users soon."

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Other than Screenshot Blocking for View Once Messages, WhatsApp will also soon roll out two other features. First, users will be able to leave groups silently and second, users can choose who can see when them when they are online. Both these features will be rolled out this month (August).

It can be known that this is not the first time when an app has come up with a screenshot blocking feature. Snapchat also lets its users send time-sensitive messages that self destruct and does not allow users to take screenshots of the same. If a user tries to take a screenshot of a self destructing message, Snapchat informs the sender of the message by sending a notification.

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Telegram also has a feature called Secret Chats using which you can send messages to the person you want and no other person will be able to read those messages. Also, the messages cannot be forwarded from secret chats and when you delete messages on your side of the conversation, the app on the other side of the secret chat will be deleted too. You can order your messages, photos, videos and files to self-destruct in a set amount of time after they have been read or opened by the recipient. The message will then disappear from both your and your friend's devices. Telegram also alerts you about screenshots taken in your Secret Chats, but it may still be possible to bypass such notifications and take screenshots silently.