While the appeal of Instagram stories lies in their short-term nature, there is a way to save them — with a simple screenshot. Naturally, this begs the question, does Instagram notify the user when you screenshot a story? That’s what we’re going to find out today so stay tuned.
Can You Screenshot an Instagram Story?
Yes, you absolutely can. Technically speaking, there isn’t anything illegal about taking screenshots as long as people are aware that using intellectual property elsewhere without permission may result in copyright infringement lawsuits. Aside from the copyright issues, there is the question of consent, so it would be best to ask beforehand.
Can People See if You Screenshot Their Instagram Story? — Then vs. Now
The vanishing text concept was first popularized by Snapchat, which used it as a way for users to send personal messages confidentially. If a viewer took a screenshot, it would count as a breach of confidentiality.
When Instagram introduced the stories feature in 2016, it was widely seen as a direct answer to Snapchat. One of the key selling points of Snapchat was that it offered users a degree of privacy — photos and videos disappeared after a few seconds and could not be screenshotted without the sender being notified.
That said, the IG stories concept is perceived differently from Snapchat. For Instagrammers, stories became a great way of uploading new content and spewing their day-to-day life at their following without messing up the aesthetics of their feed.
As a result, when Instagram introduced the screenshot notification feature, it was met with widespread backlash from users. Long story short, users expressed their dislike of the new feature, and Instagram screenshot notifications were subsequently removed.
Can You See if Someone Screenshots Your Instagram Story?
Instagram currently will not notify you if someone screenshots your story. So is there any way to see who screenshots your Instagram story? Not unless they share it afterward and you stumble upon it. In fact, the picture-sharing platform won’t notify users of any screenshots for posts, reels, and DMs either. One notable exception, however, is disappearing photos or videos sent over DMs.
How to Do a Screenshot of an Instagram Story
Depending on what kind of phone you have, the steps to take an Instagram screenshot may be different. It’s just like taking a screenshot of anything else on your phone, but you’re doing screenshots of Instagram Stories while in the mobile app. Here’s the short answer to taking a screenshot of an Instagram Story: For older iPhones: Press and hold the home button and the lock button at the same time. For newer models: Hold down the power and volume up buttons simultaneously. For Android: Press the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.
Alternatively, you can try using a screen recording tool instead. This way, you can record the entire story without having to take multiple screenshots. Screen recording tools are available for both iPhone and Android devices.
The Bottom Line
So, does Instagram notify the user when you screenshot a story? The answer is a definite no. The Instagram story screenshot is invisible, the app doesn’t send notifications to users when someone screenshots their story. However, that doesn’t mean that your actions will remain unknown. When you take a screenshot of someone’s story, they’ll be able to see that you’ve viewed it in their story views list. So while Instagram doesn’t technically notify users when you screenshot their stories, there are still potential consequences for your actions. So, just in case, think carefully before taking a screenshot of someone’s story.
