Say goodbye to screenshots of incriminating late-night messages making the rounds on social media. WhatsApp is reportedly beta testing a feature that’ll prevent users from taking screenshots in-app… which’ll make it a little more difficult for users to share images of private conversations with others. The Facebook-owned messaging app has been trying to up its security credentials in recent years, so this looks like another move in that direction.
Rumours suggest the feature won’t be natively active on all WhatsApp user accounts. Instead, it’ll be available to users who decide to activate the new ‘Authentication’ feature that’ll require users to unlock the app with a password and/or biometric security methods.
While it seems clear the feature is designed to keep WhatsApp chats more secure by adding another level of security, it won’t stop anyone taking a picture of their screen with another device. But then, that’s the case with any app.
No more screenshots
The app lock will also support auto-locking after a certain time has passed. This means that your phone remains secure even when you forget to close the app.
Of course, there’s no guarantee this feature will make it to market as it’s still in the testing phase, but given Facebook’s crummy track record with security of late, and the pressure it’s being put under to help stop the spread of fake news on its various platforms, this move would make sense.
If you’re on the lookout for a more secure messaging app (or, you know, just one Facebook doesn’t own), check out our story on three alternatives to WhatsApp.
Source: WABetaInfo
