Busted.
Except, well, not really.
Can’t be busted if you can’t commit the crime, right?
In related news, screenshots are a dangerous beast.
There’s the paranoia of, ‘Does this person know that I just did that?’ coupled with the knife-edge terror of potentially sending a screenshot right back to the person you’ve just screenshotted, and not to a third party.
It’s entirely possible that you are screenshotting for non-gossip-based reasons, but let’s be honest, it’s usually for nefarious enough purposes.
In any event, the go-to screenshot may be on the way out.
According to a blog post on WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a new update for Android users that could remove the function altogether.
A fingerprint feature is currently being tested, which would require users of the messenger platform to scan their unique fingerprint in order to access private chats.
WABetaInfo says:
“When the Authentication feature is enabled [currently unavailable], your fingerprint is obviously required to open WhatsApp, but conversation screenshots are blocked.
“It means you won’t be longer able to screenshot your chats if you enable that feature.”
The blog post continues, noting that there is no official line from WhatsApp at present regarding this potentially restrictive change, nor are they themselves aware of the benefits.
Image via WABetaInfo
As for when this feature may come into play for Android users, that too is uncertain.
There’s no word on possible iPhone compatibility, either, so hopefully it’s all one big fever dream and we can keep screenshotting away to our heart’s content.
It’s really dangerous though, guys, so be careful.
