How to know if someone screenshots your Instagram Story? If this is something that has been going on your mind, you are not the only one!
Since its rise to dominance in social media in recent years, one of the most used features on Instagram is Instagram Story. This feature allows users to post photos and videos that will be alive for only 24 hours before they disappear.
The idea is to create urgency and encourage real-time interaction. Though content shared within the Instagram story disappears within a certain time, users still want to monitor how their content is being shared, especially after it has been screenshot.
Knowing whether or not someone has taken a screenshot of your Instagram Story is a very valid concern for content creators, influencers, and even regular users who just simply want their pictures kept safe.
This article goes in-depth with how Instagram notifies you when someone takes a screenshot of your Story, whether those notifications are reliable, and what you can do to defend your content from unwanted captures.
Before we get into how to track screenshots, let’s clarify what Instagram Stories are and how they work.
This category of posts contains the stories presented in a horizontal row and become invisible after 24 hours. Users can add photos, videos, and content using different filters, writing text, setting music, or adding stickers; this is quite a fun, temporary way to relate to followers.
Instagram’s story feature is the best for an update in real-time, presenting behind-the-scenes moments or promoting products and services. Once a Story is published, a user can view it by tapping on a profile icon at the top of the Instagram app.
The audience of the Story can react with a direct message or reaction such as emojis, and the publisher can view a list of who viewed the Story.
What if, though, someone screenshotted your Story? In a case like that, how to know if someone screenshots your Instagram Story?
Let me say it out loud and be done with it. NO. Sadly, you cannot find out if someone has screenshotted your Instagram Story on the app.
“But, I thought you could know!”
And you are not wrong if you are thinking that way. Well, TBH, in 2018, there was a feature that was available for a short time. This could let you know of anyone has taken a screenshot of your Story.
However, the popular social media platform discontinued this notification feature specifically for reasons related to viewer’s privacy.
When someone takes a screenshot of your Instagram Story that you have sent in a DM, Instagram does send you a notification. The notification is a small, subtle camera icon next to the name of the person who took the screenshot. This helps you track who is capturing your content.
However, you need to remember one thing: THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN A DM and not in the case of an actual IGStory.
Here’s what you need to know:
To check who took a screenshot of your Story, follow these simple steps:
It makes it easy to monitor who is looking at your content, and you know if a particular person is saving your content.
While Instagram enables you to find out whether somebody has taken a screenshot of your Story, it is also useful to consider that there are a few caveats around this.
Even as Instagram’s notification of a screenshot may be valuable, they have limits that would degrade the use of this function. Let’s, therefore explore a few of the limits below:
Unfortunately, there is no way to track all screenshot or screen recording instances on Instagram Stories. Third-party apps and airplane mode bypass the notification system of Instagram.
However, there are a few ways to manage your content and reduce the chances of your Stories being captured:
Instagram offers several privacy settings to determine who can see your stories. If you want to limit who may access your content, these are the best options for you.
Here is a quick overview:
These features can be used to control access to your content and prevent it from being screenshot by someone else.
Watermarking your stories is actually a great way to dissuade other people from sharing or reposting your content.
When you add your logo or any text visible on the photo or video, then it becomes impossible for someone who is screenshotting your story to screenshot it without the watermark on it, thereby making it hard to use the content without giving you credit.
Sometimes, they have no clue as to why one should not share other people’s work. When one needs to secure their work by protecting it as intellectual property, then teach them what could go wrong once your content gets captured without one consent.
Teach the audience to inform them of taking screenshots of sharing your content by blocking their numbers.
Instagram allows you to limit who can share your Stories. You can turn off the ability for others to share your Story so that your content remains within your control. Although this does not prevent screenshots, it can reduce the spread of your content.
Honestly, there is no legal rule around screenshotting an Instagram story. So, technically, anyone can screenshot Instagram content, be it a story or a post.
But, ethically, it is not completely okay to take a screenshot of someone else’s Instagram story.
Given that all the Instagram posts are basically the intellectual properties of the creators, taking them without their permission can lead to copyright infringement.
So, it is better to ask for permission before taking a screenshot of Instagram stories.
Even though there aren’t many third-party apps in the market that guarantee to disclose who took your Instagram story’s screenshot, you can try a few.
Most of the third-party apps can give an alert for the screenshot taken. But they can’t disclose who took the screenshot.
Moreover, third-party apps come with a few disadvantages, like privacy issues, malware attacks, and potential scams. So, it is better to avoid using them without taking proper precautions.
Although you can’t see who has taken a screenshot of your Instagram story, you can at least view who has seen your stories. So, if you find any suspicious account viewing your story, you can block them or restrict them.
Now, to see who viewed your Instagram story content, you need to first post a story. It can be resharing a funny reel or something original from your gallery.
Once it is posted, open the story and swipe up. There, you will find the built-in Instagram insights section. So, you can scroll through the number of views and interactions on your story.
Moreover, it will show you the accounts that have seen or reacted in any way to your story. This info remains available for 48 hours. So, you can check the list from the panel.
Though you cannot stop a user from taking a screenshot of your Story, you can do the following to decrease the possibility of its misuse:
In conclusion, it’s not all bad news! Instagram does at least give you some indication of who took a screenshot on your Stories.
This is far from perfect, as there are very obvious limitations. However, what you can do is limit screenshotting by relying on privacy controls, adding watermarking to all your content, and teaching people who follow you.
Although you cannot prevent someone from taking a screenshot or screen recording, you can control your content through these means.
The strategies that I have mentioned above will allow you to be in control and limit the spreading of your work on Instagram. In that way, the company’s notification system can be an important tool for keeping you up to date on how your content is being shared.
Thus, having information about privacy features and correctly making use of the same shall let you look into the stories in Instagram the way you are suited to without bringing risks upon the content in posting with or against your wishes.
Read Also:
A self-proclaimed Swiftian, Instagram-holic, and blogger, Subhasree eats, breathes, and sleeps pop culture. When she is not imagining dates with Iron Man on Stark Tower (yes, she has the biggest crush on RDJ, which she won’t admit), she can be seen tweeting about the latest trends. Always the first one to break viral news, Subhasree is addicted to social media, and leaves out no opportunity of blogging about the same. She is our go-to source for the latest algorithm updates and our resident editor.
