Back in 2016, when Snapchat was just starting to blow up to catch up with Facebook (and when Kik messenger was a thing in the instant messenger world), that was the first time I ever tried Snapchat.
Fast-forward to 2024, I have a mere 14,000 score on Snap. Well, that tells a lot about how much I use it.
However, for the rest of the world, the popularity, and usage has skyrocketed with 443 million users worldwide with a big chunk of the user base (202 million) from India (source).
Why is Snapchat Popular in India?
When I tried Snapchat, it was not officially available in India. It made its entry to the country in 2019.
While it was trying to attract the untapped demographics, it was competing with TikTok, which was then banned in 2020.
That’s when Snapchat managed to take in most of the young demographics (or GenZ audience as we call it) looking to switch to other platforms, including Instagram.
Now, Snapchat has become a well-known app as an instant messenger where your chats are not saved by default, and with which you can watch videos, share pictures/videos, and get access to interactive filters to enhance the experience.
The user experience side is pretty solid — I like all the fun filters it has, when taking pictures or in a video call.
Unfortunately, the privacy side of it, is not as pretty (considering that is the sole reason why users prefer to use Snapchat).
And, this is not just for users in India, but everyone.
Anyone Can Take a Screenshot Without You Knowing
Yes, anyone can take a screenshot of a snap or conversation, and you will never know about it. Scary, right?
If you have an Android device, and Google Assistant on it, you can ask the assistant to take a screenshot of any conversation or picture you like.
And, the recipient will not be notified about this.
Naturally, you would expect a notification when someone takes a screenshot of your snap/chat, but this is a workaround that is actively working for months (or a year) now.
Of course, this is helpful when some snaps cannot be saved, and you do have consent of the recipient to save it using this trick.
On the other hand, this can be misused by many without users ever knowing about it, only to be scammed/blackmailed later.
Related Read: Secure Banking Tips for Users in India: The Ultimate Guide
Snapchat Is Not Addressing This And That’s Concerning
There are multiple guides on the internet that tell you how to take a screenshot without the user knowing for about a year or more now, and I can confirm that it still works 😲
Considering the user base also includes minors, and young adults, it is incredibly important to address this privacy risk.
And, if you are wondering: maybe it is technically impossible, you are mistaken.
Telegram’s secret chats, and numerous other apps do not allow you to take screenshots, even when you use Google Assistant. All you get is a blank/black screenshot if you try doing that.
So, it is just that Snapchat is putting a blind eye to the workaround.
However, for the safety of its users, I believe Snapchat should promptly make its users aware of this, until they have fixed it permanently.
Furthermore, if you want to use a more secure app when compared to Snapchat, I have a list of secure messaging apps for you that you do not want to miss checking out 😉
