WhatsApp continues to work on improving its user interface by adding new features to the app. Currently WhatsApp is developing a feature that will allow users to migrate their chats between different platforms. WABetaInfo even shared a short video on their twitter showing how the feature will work for transferring chats from iOS to Android.
As mentioned in the tweet the feature will be rolling out soon for beta testers in a future update.
In addition to the new feature. WhatsApp previously reported that it is coming up with a “View Once” feature for shared videos and images (Click Here to know more). The feature may glance at user privacy but it gives rise to the question “Why doesn’t WhatsApp block screenshots?” After all, anyone can take a screenshot of the media sent. Fortunately, WABetaInfo on their website has answered the very same question.
“WhatsApp hasn’t implemented a screenshot detection feature for photos and videos sent using the view once mode. There is something you don’t know and WhatsApp wants to protect you!“, says WABetaInfo. Turns out the major concern of why WhatsApp has not implemented a system to block or notify a user when someone has taken a screenshot or video capture is to protect the users aka YOU!
WhatsApp wants to be sure of the fact that users use this feature correctly and avoid any unwanted situation. “Unfortunately, there are several ways to bypass screenshot detection, in particular on WhatsApp for Android: there are several apps that are able to cheat the operating system, so they can silently take screenshots or video recordings without sending any notification.” says WABetaInfo. “This situation is very worrying because the sender will never know that the recipient has taken a screenshot, so he feels safe, but this is not so. When an application ensures that screenshots are blocked or notified, the sender could send something private, being sure that the media won’t be shared with third parties, but the recipient could take a photo from another phone.“
WhatsApp can start introducing ways that detect the apps that bypass the natural system but owing to the development of new apps making this fight endless, it is better to declare “the recipient can take a screenshot, be careful” instead of “screenshots are blocked”, but that’s not the reality. Avoiding the implementation of a screenshot detection feature, WhatsApp encourages you to be careful about what you share using this feature. If they implemented a method to detect screenshots, you would feel safe, but we have explained that you are never safe.“
Perhaps the best use of the view once feature would be to send photos and videos that are not important so that they disappear right after being seen and don’t end up taking unnecessary device storage.
