Skip to Content

Instagram Testing Feature That Alerts Users When You Screenshot a Story

by

Instagram is testing a new feature that will send an alert whenever you take a screenshot of a story, effectively putting an end to the practice of covertly taking screenshots of the temporary story posts on the social network.

News of the new feature was shared on Twitter by a user who posted an image of a screenshot warning message. Instagram plans to offer a one-time warning letting screenshotters know that subsequent screenshots or screen recordings will be visible to the person who posted the story.

instagramscreenshotwarning

Image via Twitter user Mulan

The feature is being tested with a small number of users. Participants can see who took a screenshot of their story by going to the list of story viewers and checking to see if there are camera icons next to any of the names. A flash icon denotes a user who took a screenshot.

Instagram does not plan to send out notifications when a screenshot of a story is captured, but it will be visible in the list of people who viewed the story.


Instagram confirmed to TechCrunch that the feature is in testing right now: "We are always testing ways to improve the experience on Instagram and make it easier to share any moment with the people who matter to you."

It's not yet clear if and when Instagram will officially introduce this feature.

Top Rated Comments

Starship67 Avatar
105 months ago
Don’t want someone to screenshot your photos don’t post em on social media.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jgelin Avatar
105 months ago
I don’t think that an application should know when I am taking a screenshot, it is happening at the OS level and it shouldn’t be able to be caught and alerted on by an application.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
105 months ago
I don’t think that an application should know when I am taking a screenshot, it is happening at the OS level and it shouldn’t be able to be caught and alerted on by an application.
I know, right? What business does an app have knowing I took a screenshot?

Also, what's with this new idiotic concept of it being creepy or stalkery to save a screenshot? If you don't want people saving your content, don't post it. We really don't need people depending on psuedo-DRM in apps like Instagram and thinking they are safe from having people copy their precious content, when they are actually not. The Internet and social media should be about sharing content anyway, not restricting it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fairuz Avatar
105 months ago
For what reason, other than to copy Snapchat even more?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kahkityoong Avatar
105 months ago
Interested to know how it’s beneficial to know who took a screenshot?
So girls can keep tabs on creepy stalkery guys.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
expiredyogurt Avatar
105 months ago
next level reward for attention whore womens.
in this age, likes and thumbs up are no longer the hot thing, it's how many people can you get to screenshot your **** is the next hot thing.
likes can be bought and most of them are fake and people might accidentally double tap to like so they dont care about it anymore.
screenshot on the other hand requires more effort and it gives them pleasure to see people saving their photos.
sucks for the small time girls where they will be able to see which one of their guy friends are creeping them but for social media celeb its just another way to satisfy their ego
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Teases 'A Big Week Ahead' With Announcements Starting Monday

Thursday February 26, 2026 6:06 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday. His post included an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac. Apple is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4, with up to five new products...
iphone fold text

iPhone Fold Crease Measurements Revealed as Device Hits Production

Wednesday February 25, 2026 5:37 am PST by
Apple has submitted production line orders for its upcoming foldable iPhone, effectively confirming that the device will launch this year, claims a Chinese leaker. According to the Weibo account "Fixed Focus Digital," assembly lines recently received the orders from Apple, which has apparently allowed the leaker to learn the crease measurements for the device's 7.8-inch inner display....
m3 macbook pro blue

M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro: What to Expect

Wednesday February 25, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a new MacBook Pro that could launch next week ahead of the "Special Experience" planned for March 4, so we thought we'd highlight all of the rumors about the device so far. Design There are no rumors of design changes, and we are expecting the upcoming M5 MacBook Pro models to look just like the M4 versions. Apple will continue to offer 14-inch and 16-inch size options,...