For the last few months, Instagram has been testing a new feature notifying people when someone took a screenshot of one of their stories. This was a feature cribbed from Snapchat. Because anything Snapchat does, Instagram has to try doing too.
However, it appears that Instagram has now stopped the experiment, and is no longer notifying users that someone has taken a screenshot one of their stories. No one knows why Instagram has had a change of heart, and BuzzFeed is the sole source of the story.
Instagram Messes With Its Users
In February 2018, Instagram started warning some users when someone else took a screenshot of their stories. The screenshotter was warned, “Next time you take a screenshot or screen recording, the person who posted the story will be able to see”.
This was only ever a small test affecting a limited number of users, but it was enough to make everyone think twice before taking a screenshot of an Instagram story. However, now, four months on, it looks as though Instagram has ended the experiment.
In good news Instagram has stopped notifying people when you screenshot their stories, in bad news I had no idea this was actually even a thing to start with pic.twitter.com/EerqeWSh6P
— Tahlia Pritchard (@Tahls) June 15, 2018
According to BuzzFeed, Instagram has “officially ended this test, and NO ONE will get notified when you screenshot.” Which, if true, means you can start snooping on your friends once again without them ever finding out you’re a creep.
There’s a chance that Instagram has only ended the experiment, but is now cooking up something else to deter people from screenshotting stories. If our previous experience is anything to go on we won’t actually know until it’s being tested in the wild.
This Isn’t the End of This Story
Perhaps someone working for Instagram has indeed given BuzzFeed a scoop. But it seems strange that no other publication could get an official confirmation or denial of the story. Which leads us to suspect this isn’t the last we’ll hear of this subject.
In case Instagram ever does launch this feature in full, you should bookmark our article detailing ways to screenshot Instagram Stories without getting caught. After all, there are some legitimate (and non-creepy) reasons you may want to screenshot Stories.
Read the full article: You Can Now Screenshot Instagram Stories Again
