You can find a lot of different content on Instagram. But since you can’t directly download a picture, video, or post from another account, most people end up taking screenshots that they can repost or revisit at a later date.
That said, this leaves many people wondering whether or not the user receives a notification when a screenshot is taken of their post, message, or story.
Instagram is a platform that’s constantly changing and sometimes, Instagram adds new features without informing users. This is why many people aren’t sure if they can take a screenshot of something on Instagram without notifying the user on the opposite end.
Does Instagram Notify the User When You Screenshot Their Post?
Instagram doesn’t let you download posts and videos from other accounts. However, you are allowed to take screenshots of the posts on your phone. And when you do so, you can rest assured that the person will not receive a notification.
Again, Instagram’s notification policy can change from time to time. So, make sure to always double-check before taking a screenshot to make sure that the other person won’t receive a notification.
Read more: How To Find Phone Contacts On Instagram
Does Instagram Notify the User When You Screenshot Their Story?
You can take screenshots of Instagram stories and the person who posted them won’t receive a notification. Currently, there’s no feature in place that notifies people when someone screenshots their Instagram stories. However, since Instagram has an ever-changing notification policy, it will never hurt to check before taking a screenshot.
When Does Instagram Notify Users When You Take a Screenshot?
While you don’t have to worry about sending out notifications when taking a screenshot of a post or story, there are times when Instagram notifies the user that you’ve taken a screenshot of their content. If someone sends you a disappearing photo or video through Instagram DMs, they will receive a notification if you take a screenshot.
When someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing photo or video that was sent on Instagram, there will be a small hatch icon next to the message. There will also be a screenshot notification on the message summary when you open your inbox.
It’s important that you remember that this only applies to disappearing messages. Not all the photos and videos you send on Instagram are disappearing messages. So, if you send a non-disappearing message, the recipient can take a screenshot of the photo and you will not receive a notification.
Many people don’t know what the small hatch icon means when they send photos. If you sent someone a disappearing message and the message has this icon next to it, it means that they took a screenshot of the photo or video.
Read more: What Is The Best Time To Post On Instagram?
Why Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot a Disappearing DM?
There are two types of messages that you can send in Instagram DMs. These are disappearing and non-disappearing messages. When you tap the camera icon to take a photo or video to send to someone, it sends it as a disappearing message. This is Instagram’s default setting. So, when you send the photo, the person can only view it once before it disappears forever.
These messages are designed to expire, so it’s only fair that the person who sent the photos knows when you take a screenshot and have a copy of the photo. You can also tweak the settings to allow the recipient to replay the photo once, but you’ll still get a notification if they take a screenshot.
This is to protect the privacy and integrity of the disappearing message. Instagram wants people to trust the platform when it comes to messaging. So, it’s important that both parties are informed if either party decides to take a screenshot of a message that was supposed to disappear forever.
That said, taking a screenshot of disappearing messages is allowed on Instagram. On top of that, you can screenshot just about anything else on the platform without worrying about someone receiving a notification. This includes direct messages, posts, stories, and even non-disappearing photos.
How to Take a Screenshot of a Disappearing Photo Without Notifying the Other Person
There are a few ways that you can take an Instagram screenshot without notifying the other person. The first method is by using your browser. Simply go to the Instagram website through your browser and open the direct messages. From there, you can freely take screenshots of photos without notifying the other person.
Another method people use is turning on airplane mode on their mobile phones. This method requires some timing, but it’s great if you want to take screenshots on your phone. To do this, you need to open the message or story you want to screenshot, turn on airplane mode, and then take the screenshot. If you time everything right, then the other person won’t get notified of the screenshot.
The last way to screenshot an Instagram message without notifying the other person is with another camera. This will result in a lower-quality screenshot, but at least the other person won’t see that you took it. For the best results, use a high-quality camera and take a steady shot.
Aside from those methods, it’s impossible to take a screenshot of a disappearing photo on Instagram without notifying the other person.
Conclusion
If you want to take a screenshot on Instagram, you can do that freely. On top of that, you won’t notify anyone when you take a screenshot of most of the content on the platform. This includes stories, posts, direct messages, comments, and your homepage.
However, there is one instance where Instagram notifies the other party that you took a screenshot. If you or someone else sent a disappearing photo or video in the Instagram DMs, then the platform will notify both people when someone takes a screenshot of content that was sent with the goal of only being seen once or twice.
You can read additional Instagram articles here.
