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'Does Snapchat notify users when you take screenshots?': Here's what you need to know

Written by Steven John
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Snapchat sends a notification for screenshots, but it is possible to get around the notification. Shutterstock
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So you really want to take a screenshot of that hilarious chat or memorable photo on Snapchat? 

Go right ahead, take the screenshot — but know that the other party using Snapchat is going to get a notification saying that you took a screenshot. 

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Snapchat will notify users when a screenshot is taken for photos, videos, chats, and stories

Snapchat will notify a user when another user has taken a screenshot of their photo, video, chat conversation, or Snapchat story. 

Photo and video screenshots will display a screenshot alert, a chat screenshot will produce the words "You took a screenshot!" in your chat, and a story screenshot displays a screenshot icon in the viewers section of a user's story. 

If you want to take a screenshot on Snapchat without the other person knowing, you have to get clever. 

But make sure you're not being unlawful or deceitful in the process. Just because you can screenshot on Snapchat without someone knowing doesn't mean you should. 

How to get around a screenshot notification on Snapchat

Use another device to screenshot on Snapchat

The easiest way to secretly save a Snapchat screen is to use a different device as your camera. Grab an iPad, a different phone, or a camera and take a photo of the screen.

To get a higher resolution image, you can also mirror the Snapchat app on your iPhone or Android to a computer screen, and then take a screenshot on the computer.

Go offline and clear the cache before taking a screenshot

If you just want to take a screenshot of one Snapchat image, this is your best method. Launch the app but don't click the "New Snap!" you want to screenshot just yet.

Switch on Airplane Mode so your iPhone goes offline.

IMG_4422
Turn on Airplane Mode before opening the Snap.  William Antonelli/Business Insider

Now you can open the snap and screenshot it. Next, navigate to the Settings in Snapchat and select Clear Cache, then Clear All.

Now switch Airplane Mode off and get back to snapping as normal.

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.