When taking screenshots of other people's WhatsApp statuses, exercise caution. Now, the app will reveal you
We anticipated this, but it appears that WhatsApp will finally stop this covert practice of screenshotting status updates. You might no longer be able to take screenshots of the content of your contacts without facing any repercussions. We are becoming increasingly concerned about privacy in messaging apps, particularly when it comes to content that should, in theory, vanish on its own.
After examining the code of WhatsApp for Android (version 2.25.12.19), Android Authority claims that Meta is getting ready to develop a system that will recognize when you take screenshots of your status updates. Since Snapchat has been warning you when someone takes a screenshot of your stories for years, this discovery leads us to believe that WhatsApp is attempting to overtake Snapchat.
References to x.status_screenshot_detection have been left in the code by the development team. Given that WhatsApp does not currently notify you when someone takes a screenshot of your status updates, this feature will use Android's capabilities to catch people who steal other people's content in the act.
It is not surprising to see apps utilizing the screenshot detection API that Android 14 introduced in 2023. Nevertheless, this is not the first instance of screenshot detection for Statuses or Stories. In addition to alerting users when someone takes a screenshot of their Story, Snapchat introduced this feature more than ten years ago.
WhatsApp recently released a comprehensive suite of privacy improvements, which will soon include this new feature. Let us be honest, though, there are always ways to get around these limitations.