Does WhatsApp notify users of screenshots of status updates and chats?

WhatsApp is arguably the most popular instant messaging platform in the world, and can well be dubbed as a messaging lifeline in India. The Meta-owned platform had around 2.8 billion users globally in 2023, nearly half a billion users of which are from India.

In India, WhatsApp is not only used by people to communicate with their friends and relatives. It has also replaced Short Message/Messaging Service (SMS), with many brands relying on the service to share important communication about deals and offers. However, WhatsApp remains popular because of its core messaging suite.

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Whether it’s the peer-to-peer instant messaging system that allows users to chat and make voice and video calls directly, group messaging, or the ability to share whatever’s on your mind in the form of your status, the service has tried to stay relevant despite competition. While those “Good Morning” messages in multiple groups are annoying, there is one other thing that WhatsApp users do frequently: take screenshots.

If you are someone who takes screenshots of WhatsApp chats or WhatsApp status then you must be wondering whether the messaging service notifies people when you take a screenshot. Here’s what you need to know about WhatsApp’s screenshot notification settings, across its key features and services.

Does WhatsApp notify one of screenshots of one’s status?

If you are curious whether WhatsApp notifies people when someone screenshots their status, then the answer is simply no. WhatsApp does not notify the person when a user takes a screenshot of their status or story. This means you can take screenshots or even screen record the status of someone on WhatsApp without them having any knowledge of it. 

Default settings on WhatsApp allow users to select who can view their Status. You can either let only your contacts view your Status, or even restrict some of your contacts from viewing your status. It also offers an option where you can only select people who can see your status. This granular control over one’s status privacy means you already have control over who can see your Status in the first place.

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Hence, WhatsApp does not notify users when someone takes a screenshot of their status update. However, WhatsApp does let you see who has seen your status, based on your privacy settings. While there are apps that claim to make your screenshots private, it is nothing but elaborate scam phishing for unsuspecting WhatsApp users.

WhatsApp is encrypted end-to-end and all the major privacy settings are available to its users. Any app claiming to block screenshots or notify you about the same is probably trying to steal your account credentials. 

Does WhatsApp notify users of chat screenshots?

No, WhatsApp doesn’t notify the user when you take a screenshot of that user’s chat with you. You can take a screenshot of the chat with any user and even record the conversation using your phone’s screen recording function. All the screenshots and screen recordings that you do of WhatsApp chat are private by default.

There are apps that promise to enable the “private screenshot” feature for WhatsApp, but their utility is the same as the one offered by your phone’s default screenshot function. It is a common occurrence where people take screenshots of their WhatsApp chat with a friend or acquaintance and share them, and WhatsApp does not alert the user about it.

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By default, you won’t get alerted if someone takes a screenshot of your WhatsApp chat or screen records your chats.

However, WhatsApp does offer a privacy setting wherein it lets you block people with whom you don’t want to chat. There is also a “View once” option where the messages sent with the setting enabled enabled can only be seen once. Even if you attempt to take a screenshot of a view once message, WhatsApp will prevent you from doing so.

Unlike some apps like video streaming which restrict screenshot functionality, WhatsApp does not restrict its users from taking screenshots of their WhatsApp interface or contact or messages. The only content restricted from the screenshot function is “View once” posts or messages.

If you are worried about privacy, then the best practice would be to not post anything online that you don’t want to be made public.