Mark Zuckerberg has advised Facebook Messenger users to avoid taking screenshots of their chats unless they want to be notified that someone else has done the same.
The CEO and founder of Facebook announced that Messenger now has a feature that alerts users if someone screenshots their conversations. Zuckerberg shared this update in a Facebook post back in January 2022.
He wrote, “New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message.”
This new feature comes on the heels of another significant update to Facebook Messenger, which introduced disappearing messages.
This feature, common on several other social media platforms like Snapchat, allows users to send messages that vanish from the screen after a certain period.
As reported by The Independent, this capability is currently available to Facebook users in the United States, with plans to roll it out to European users soon.
Snapchat, known for its screenshot notifications feature, has set a precedent that Facebook Messenger is now following.
Security concerns were a driving factor behind this update, which also impacts Instagram—a platform owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
Zuckerberg’s post stirred a variety of reactions and has garnered over 94,000 comments. Many users have pointed out potential ways to bypass the screenshot notification feature.
One user suggested, “Screen recorder will do I guess.”
Another commented, “What if someone used another mobile phone to take a photo of the conversation?”
A third user concurred, “Now we will use another mobile for capturing photos instead of screenshots.”
Another tech-savvy individual offered a more complex workaround: “You turn the wifi and data off, then you take the screenshot. You turn it on again, and you keep messaging like a hero.”
Some users expressed frustration with the update, suggesting that Facebook should prioritize more critical issues.
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