Instagram is a great platform where you can see and share amazing contents through stories and posts. With so many impressive photos and videos, you might be eager to take screenshots or record videos and save them on your device. Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story and post?
In general, Instagram users won’t get notification when you take screenshots of their posts, stories, and messages. However, this social app has its own scenario regarding when it will send notification on screenshots. Learn more about Instagram screenshots here.
Table of Contents
Does Instagram Send a Notification When You Screenshot a Story?
In 2018, Instagram let you know when someone took a screenshot of your stories. But this feature didn’t last long because it was gone only a few months after the test. Since June 2018, stories are safe from screenshot notifications.
What does it mean? You can take screenshots as many as possible without the creator being notified. Other users can also screenshot your stories without your knowledge. The same is true for live feature. The platform enables you to screenshot a live video without notifying the creator.
However, it hasn’t yet clear whether Instagram will resume screenshot notification feature in the future. The platform possibly bring the feature back at any time without you knowing about this scenario.
Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot a Post?
When you see a great post from celebrities, motivators, or popular brands and you want to take a screenshot, Instagram won’t send notification to the original creator. That means any photos and videos seen on user profile, home feed, or Explore are free from screenshot notifications.
This is also the case for screen recording. Instagram lets you record other’s video post and it will not send notification to the creator. This is the best alternative to save amazing video posts on your mobile device.
Once saved, you can repost the content on Instagram account or let it end up in the gallery. When you decide to repost photo screenshots or video recordings, be sure to mention the source on your caption. That’s how you appreciate the original creator.
Does Instagram Send Notifications When You Screenshot Direct Message?
In most situation, direct message is also safe from screenshot notifications. Instagram doesn’t send notifications when you screenshot a conversation containing text, hashtags, or post from feed. So the other user will not know if you take a screenshot and save the conversation.
But it is not the case with disappearing photos. When someone sends disappearing photos and you take a screenshot, the people who send it will be notified. A disappearing photo is a snapshot taken using your camera through Instagram app and it is sent as a direct message.
It is referred to as disappearing photo because it is temporary and will disappear when the recipient view it. When you take a screenshot, the sender will be able to see a small starburst icon beneath the photo. This is a subtle way to notify the user that you have taken a screenshot of the photo.
In addition to little starburst icon, people who send a disappearing photo can see another notification in the list of direct messages. When you take a screenshot, they will be able to see “Screenshot” notification under your username in the conversations list.
Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot User Profiles?
As with stories and posts, it is safe to take a screenshot of someone’s profile. Instagram does not notify the users that you screenshot their profiles. In the event you want to let your friends know about specific account, simply take a screenshot of their profiles and send it.
If you ever worried about random users take a screenshot of your profile, you might need to set your account to private. Non-followers won’t be able to see your contents so they have to send a request. That’s how you can control who can view your posts on Instagram.
When your Instagram is set to private, not only non-followers won’t be able to see the posts but they won’t be able to access your stories and bio. This is the safest way to keep your Instagram controllable.
Alternative to Taking a Screenshot or Screen Recording
While taking a screenshot or screen recording lets you save the content instantly, it might consume a lot of space on your device. There is an alternative that enables you to save other’s posts on Instagram without taking space on the smartphone.
Take advantage from bookmarking feature that comes along with Instagram app. This feature is specifically built to save posts, including images and videos without taking a screenshot or screen recording. Any posts you have bookmarked will be saved and you can visit them later.
The original creator won’t be notified when you bookmark their posts. To make these posts more organized, you can create collection albums and add posts to the right categories.
Here is how to bookmark a post on Instagram:
- Open Instagram app.
- Scroll through the home feed to find a post you wish to bookmark.
- When you find it, tap bookmark icon at the bottom-right corner of any post.
- Once clicked, you will see a notification that the post has been saved to collection.
Now that the posts have been saved, you can revisit them at any time as long as the original creator doesn’t delete it. All your saved posts will be saved in the Saved menu in your profile.
Follow the steps below to see bookmarked posts:
- Launch your Instagram app.
- Go to your profile by tapping profile icon. It should be the one with your profile picture.
- Tap the three horizontal lines icon at the upper-right corner of your screen then select Saved.
- If you haven’t made an album, the saved posts will be collected in All Posts album.
- Tap this album and you will find posts you have saved previously.
Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story and post? The answer is no. Instagram won’t send any notification to the original creator when you screenshot their stories and posts But if you want to save space on your device, using bookmark feature will be a great alternative.
