Facebook Messenger users to receive screenshot notifications

Update comes in a brutal week for Facebook with shares in the company plummeting 26% on Thursday.

Facebook's messenger is being updated to allow users to encrypt their messages and calls.

In an update, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the service has now been updated and that users can also set conversations to automatically delete after a period of time.

"New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message. We're also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too," he said.

His post included a screenshot of the conversation he had on Messenger with his wife Priscilla Chan.

The feature is initially being rolled out to users in the US with other regions to follow.

The update comes in a brutal week for Facebook. Shares of its owner Meta plummeted 26% on Thursday, the biggest single-day slide in market value for a US company, after the social media giant issued a dismal forecast, blaming Apple's privacy changes and increased competition.

The huge drop, erasing over $200bn from Meta's market capitalisation and around $29bn from Zuckerberg's net worth.