Social media provides a window into our lives, however sometimes that window is a bit too open. Learning how to see who screenshotted your public snapchat story is a must-have skill for a lot of users. It helps teenagers carefully manage their digital footprint, and enables them to protect their privacy.
Snapchat’s disappearing content is well known. However, the fact that you can take screenshots of the disappearing content means that there is always anxiety about where those saved images will go. For parents, knowing these mechanics is just as important – not only for reasons of privacy, but also to be aware of safety issues of who is keeping a permanent record of their child’s online activity.
How screenshot notifications work on Snapchat?
Snapchat was one of the first to add a “tattle” feature. This feature is all about alerting you if your content is saved by someone. By default the app focuses on building trust as you know whether a moment is captured permanently or not.
This notification system applies across the board:
- Snaps: If you send a direct photo or video you get a notification right away if the person screenshots the photo.
- Chats: Saving a text conversation, or taking a screenshot of the chat log, will give a notification in chat window.
- Stories: When you post to your story, Snapchat records activity from viewers to your story. This activity includes screenshots and displays this information in your viewer list.
It gives users a bit of confidence that their content will be secure. Thus, no one will be able to “secretly” save it onto their devices. However, this confidence makes teenagers more daring, as they freely share private details without ever worrying about the consequences.
Keep an eye on your teen’s Snapchat usage with easy-to-use parental controls.
Can you see who screenshotted your public snapchat story?
The direct answer is yes but with certain conditions. You can find out exactly who screenshotted your public story, if they used the official method. This official method includes pressing the power and volume buttons on their phone.
When you open your story insights, Snapchat will show you a list of the people who have viewed the post. If a user has captured a screenshot, there is a separate icon for the user’s username. This is usually a crossed arrow or a small symbol of a camera shutter.
However, there is a major blind spot: Unofficial methods do not cause this alert. If a viewer is using a screen recording app, another phone’s camera used to take a photo of their screen, or a third-party “scraper” app, Snapchat may not detect the action and you will have no idea that your story has been saved.
This situation opens up a can of worm for Snapchat users who think that their private data is safe. If any user is “tech-savvy,” they can easily bypass Snapchat detection. Thus, there is a good chance that you won’t always know who screenshotted your public Snapchat story.
How to check who screenshotted your public story?
For the most part, you can check who screenshotted your public story by following these steps:
1. Open Snapchat and tap on your Profile icon or Bitmoji on the top left corner.
2. Go to the “My Stories” or “Public Profile” where the story is.
3. Tap on the Story to enlarge it.
4. Swipe down from the bottom of the screen and the Viewer/Insights list will appear.
5. Scroll through the list of names. Look for the icon of the screenshot (a little symbol of a triangle/arrow crossed with a line or with a green highlight) next to a certain username.
6. If you see a number next to the icon (e.g. “1”), it is the total number of SS taken if several people took screenshots.
This method only works if the people used the native screenshot features within their mobile devices. You won’t be able to check any screenshot alerts when the audience is relying on third party tools.
Can you see who screenshot public stories in the spotlight or shared content?
This is where the privacy rules change. Snapchat Spotlight is the app’s TikTok-like feed. It puts more of the focus on virality and anonymity than on individual connection.
If you post a video to Spotlight, Snapchat gives aggregate analytics instead of a detailed list of names. You will be able to see the total number of screenshots and shares your video received, but usually cannot see the individual usernames of the people that took them. This has the effect of protecting the privacy of the millions of random viewers who browse Spotlight content.
Spotlight content is mainly meant for the masses, and its analytics are there to help creators better engage their audience. You can’t expect the same level of privacy from Snapchat Spotlight as you do from its private story.
Can you see who screenshotted your Snap Map Snaps?
Snap Map content is very similar to Spotlight. When you submit a Snap to the “Snap Map” (Our Story), your Snap will go to a collection of public work, reliant on location.
Because these stories are seen by such an enormous audience that often spans the entire world, Snapchat does not disclose every person that is watching or screenshotting the story. You might see view counts and SS totals in your insights, but you will not get a “name-and-shame” list of users who saved your location based content.
Thus, if you have something private, keep it to yourself or only share it with close friends. Otherwise, it will be on the internet forever, and you won’t have any way of containing the exposure.
Why do some screenshots on Snapchat not show up
There are many instances where people screenshot your Snapchat content, but there is no notification. This usually occurs for one of four reasons:
- Third-party “Sneaky” apps are apps created specifically to get around detection. Although Snapchat frequently bans users who use them. Still, as far as you’re concerned, these users will have permanent access to the content you shared.
- Screen mirroring/recording: In some cases, external screen-capture methods can bypass Snapchat’s recording detection system. Still, Snapchat can ban the users who rely on third party recording tools.
- Bugs or outdated versions: If either user is running an outdated version of the app, screenshot notifications may fail. This is somewhat uncommon as Snapchat forces users to update their app every other month. Nevertheless, users have exploited such bugs to target unsuspecting victims.
- Device limitations: Occasionally, a particular Android overlay or “Game Mode” screen recorder may not interact with Snapchat’s privacy API properly. And thus, it will not send the alert.
Mostly, it is the predators and groomers who will use such means to target young teens on Snapchat. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to always protect sensitive personal information such as location data or Social Security numbers.
How to know your teen’s Snapchat status?
Parents concerned about their teen’s safety and privacy on Snapchat can use specific tools designed to enhance protection.
Make use of Family Center on Snapchat
Snapchat’s built-in Family Center lets Parents link their account to their teen’s. While it takes privacy into consideration in that it does not disclose the content of messages, it offers important oversight:
- You can see who your teen is around and talking to.
- You can look at their privacy settings to make sure their stories aren’t “public” to strangers and without their knowledge.
Use notification tracking and remote snapshot in FlashGet Kids
For more complete monitoring, third-party parental control solutions such as FlashGet Kids provide more in-depth information.
- Notifications: The app can be set to sync app notifications. This way, you get updates if your teen is receiving suspicious interactions.
- Snapshot: This is a feature that enables parents to get a remote snapshot of their child’s device screen in real time. These tools help parents determine whether their child is accessing appropriate content or being targeted by potential predators.
FlashGet Kids comes with a ton of other features like active screen mirroring, app blocking, screen time limits, and much more. Consider it a digital nanny that will always be with your kid in their digital adventures. The best part? FlashGet Kids works in stealth mode. As a result, children can remain protected without feeling that their privacy is being unnecessarily invaded when using FlashGet Kids.
Conclusion
Navigating Snapchat’s privacy features can be a bit tricky, but knowing how to check who screenshotted your public snapchat story is a great first step in digital self defense. While the app does a good job of alerting you to the direct screenshots on regular stories, there are still blind spots such as Spotlight, Snap Map, and ways of recording from outside the app. For parents, implementing Snapchat’s own Family Center along with some powerful tools such as FlashGet Kids is the best blend of trust and safety.
Likewise, teens should never to post personal information or share real-time location data with Snapchat friends. It can expose them to scammers, predators, and groomers.
FAQs
Generally, yes. On modern versions of iPhones and most Androids, if a user begins recording the screen while looking at a Snap or Story, Snapchat will detect it and send the user a notification saying “Screen Recorded” or display a double-arrow icon.
Sometimes. Snapchat is very determined to fight these apps. If a user is using a third-party “saver” or modification app, Snapchat may notify the sender, but more commonly will ban the offending account.
No. There is no official setting inside Snapchat to turn off the receiving screenshot notification. This is a core privacy feature of Snapchat and users cannot disable it entirely.
If someone shares your story in a chat and saves it there, you are typically notified that your story has been shared. If they make the screenshot of the story while it is inside the chat interface, the regular notification for taking screenshots applies.
