A dating app has banned users from taking screenshots to keep messages private

• The dating app Badoo has introduced a Screenshot Block feature.
• Android users can no longer take screenshots of the app, and iOS users will get a warning message.
• The new policy is meant to discourage sharing private information and photos without permission.

There are plenty of reasons to take a screenshot of a dating app. Maybe you're sharing pictures of your perfect match with a close friend, or you may find a conversation so cringe-worthy you feel an urge to share it on social media.

According to research carried out by the dating app Badoo, more than half of daters worry about their private photos or messages being shared with others. About a quarter of surveyed daters reported they had already experienced such a leak.

But 93% of daters said they would be more open and honest if they knew their conversations could not be screenshotted, according to the survey. With this in mind, Badoo has introduced a new "Screenshot Block" feature.

From now on, Android users will not be able to take screenshots or screen recordings of the dating app. Since there's no way to completely block screenshots on an iPhone, iOS users will receive a warning message if they attempt to take one.

The aim is to discourage users from taking and sharing screenshots without asking permission first. Badoo also claimed it wanted to reduce the possibility of revenge porn by preventing private images from being saved.

"We know sending that cheeky message or picture is all part of the fun of dating, but we are committed to creating a safe space for daters to have genuine conversations that lead to exciting possibilities," Badoo's UK Brand Marketing Director, Natasha Briefe, told Refinery29.