The Next Time You Attempt to Screenshot Someone’s Instagram Story, Know This
If you’ve ever posted an Instagram Story, you know that the whole allure of the feature is the impermanence. Instagram Stories only hang around for 24 hours — you can watch a Story as many times as you want in that time, but once that time limit’s up, it’s gone — unless you take an Instagram screenshot. While Instagram hasn’t blocked the screenshotting capability, now users will be notified when someone screenshots their Instagram Story.
The feature has been on Instagram competitor Snapchat for years. Snapchat’s model is similar to Instagram Stories, in that all messages have a time limit. However Snapchat puts a limit on the amount of times you can replay a Snap, unlike Instagram Story.
Some people are upset that the Instagram screenshot warning feature has been introduced. They claim they chose Instagram over Snapchat for the ability to secretly take screenshots.
chose insta stories over snapchat stories cos of the screenshot thing but…. whats this instagram pic.twitter.com/tOi2rP7cWb
— 경자?❤️ (@dyomongi) February 9, 2018
However, we think it’s a good thing. These apps are about trust, and people should know when that trust has been broken. And, who knows — if someone screenshots your dick pic, they may just want to keep it around for their own purposes. (But there’s still the danger they could use their screenshot for unsavory purposes.)
The Instagram screenshot warnings haven’t been rolled out to all users yet. Instagram says it’s testing the new feature to see users’ reactions. However, if you’re one of the lucky users who has the feature, you’ll see a small icon when someone has taken a screenshot.
PSA: How you get notified on Instagram when someone took a screenshot of your Stories pic.twitter.com/Iua2QeyskF
— iz reading On the Edge of Scandal ? (@readbyher) February 11, 2018
The warning is relatively subtle, though. Users will have to look at the list of viewers for any individual Instagram Story. They won’t get a specific notification when it happens.
However, this is not related to private direct messages. Instagram already notifies users when someone takes a screenshot of those. Unlike the Stories, those notifications are sent directly to the sender.
Featured image by Kristina Jovanovic via iStock
