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A rumored iOS 11 feature is freaking people out

Published Mar 17th, 2017 10:31AM EDT
iOS 11 Rumors: iMessage Screenshot Alert
Image: BGR

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iOS 11 won’t be unveiled until this summer, and it will released to the public in September when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s handsets hit stores. So there’s really no point about freaking out about any feature that may or may not ship in the final version of iOS 11. Right now, there’s a whole lot of drama on Twitter about iOS 11 supposedly having a “screenshot alert” feature that would send alerts to your contacts when you take a screenshot of a text message conversation. Seriously?

Even if such a feature does end up existing, it’s really no big deal. So what if someone takes a screenshot of a text message exchange that happens over iMessage, or any other medium that can be shared with others?

As long as it’s not an app that features self-deleting content, then everything is fair game. Taking a screenshot of a message shouldn’t be a bigger deal than sending the actual message to someone. Or forwarding that message to a third party. Should iOS 11 also issue notifications if something is copied or forwarded?

So, if you’re worried that someone will take a screenshot of something you said during an iMessage conversation, you should reconsider what you say or share in your messages, and who you’re doing it with. Also, you could consider Snapchat and other apps to share sensitive content that you don’t want to be distributed to anyone other than the recipient.

What caused the outrage? Business Insider identified the source as a vlogger named Jay Way who said in December that he told Apple about the idea of screenshot alerts.

So, the most important thing to consider here is that this is a source with absolutely no track record, so the odds are against this being a legitimate leak. Even if the rumor is true, you still probably shouldn’t freak out about it.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.