Instagram Will Let Users Creep On Stories Without Screenshot Notifications After All

Instagram users who like to creep on their cohorts got some good news on Friday. The popular photo-sharing and story-hosting app kick-started the weekend by confirming it would not go ahead with a plan to notify users when their stories had been screenshotted by another user.

Back in February, TechCrunch reported that Instagram was testing a feature that would tell people when another person took a screenshot of a story they posted. Only some users were included in the test, and they were notified with the warning below at the time.

However, Instagram confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Friday that it would end the test and give up on the idea entirely. It is an announcement that ultimately amounts to Instagram telling users that things will stay the way they always have, which is likely welcome, given that users typically despise changes in their favorite apps.

Had Instagram gone forward with the idea, it would have been relatively unintrusive. Instead of showing an abrasive notification every time someone took a screenshot or recorded the screen during a story, it just would have put a little camera icon next to their name on the list of users who viewed the story.

Still, online responses to the idea were generally negative. Stories fade away after a certain amount of time, meaning capturing them is the only way to keep them around if the person who posts them does not preserve them elsewhere.

Since introducing the Snapchat-inspired feature, Instagram has focused heavily on adding features to stories. Users can now add background music and even include their permanent, regular posts in stories.