Snapchat—Stealthily Snapping Screenshots

So, you want to become a Snapchat sleuth, capturing screenshots discreetly without raising any suspicion? Well, I’ve got just the tricks for you. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll spill the beans on the secret techniques to screenshotting on Snapchat undetected. Let’s dive in!

The Good Old Airplane Mode Method

Alright, listen up. The first method in our arsenal is the classic Airplane Mode trick. Here’s how it works. When you receive a Snapchat you want to capture, put your device on Airplane Mode. This will disable the internet connection, rendering Snapchat incapable of notifying the sender that you took a devious screenshot. Neat, huh?

Now, launch Snapchat and open the snap you wish to seize. With your target snap gloriously displayed, press that trusty screenshot button. Snap! You’ve done it! But hold on tight, I’m not done yet. To cover your tracks completely, make sure you close the app before turning off Airplane Mode. This way, Snapchat will remain oblivious to your sly actions. Mission accomplished!

Enter the Sneaky Screen Recording

Feeling adventurous? Brace yourself, because I’ve got another ace up my sleeve! This method involves screen recording, allowing you to capture snaps without alerting anyone. Here’s what you gotta do.

First things first, initiate the screen recording feature on your device. Now, open Snapchat and casually play the snap you’re eyeing. While it’s playing, your screen recorder will flawlessly document each and every scene—no Snapchat notifications to worry about here.

Once you’ve memorized every pixel of that precious snap, end the screen recording. Voila! Now you have a sneaky screencast of the snap, all stored safely on your device without arousing any suspicion. Ingenious, isn’t it?

But Wait, There’s More!

Still hungry for more covert screenshotting knowledge? I’ve got some bonus tips to quench your thirst for Snapchat espionage.

Tip number one: make use of third-party apps. These nifty tools can help you bypass Snapchat’s detection mechanisms, allowing you to capture snaps undetected. Keep in mind, though, that tinkering with third-party apps may come with risks. Proceed with caution, my friend.

Tip number two: enlist the help of a friend. Yes, you read that right! Have a trusted buddy take a regular photo of the snap you desire while you secretly launch Snapchat in the background. That way, your friend becomes your very own Snapchat ninja, and no one will be the wiser!

I hope my guide has armed you with the knowledge needed to conquer Snapchat screenshotting without leaving a trace. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so use your newfound skills wisely. Happy sneaking!

Hey there! So, you know how there are a bunch of chat apps out there, right? Well, each one tends to attract a different group of people. Take Snapchat, for example. It’s super popular among those under 30. And you wanna know why? Because it’s all about sharing photos and videos that disappear after a set amount of time. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, Snapchat was originally known for its not-so-safe-for-work content. But it’s evolved over time. Nowadays, it’s more like a social network for teens and twenty-somethings to share what’s happening in their lives. And the best part? You don’t have to worry about any of it coming back to haunt you. No judgment from family members or future bosses because everything disappears into thin air. It’s like a secret society!

But here’s the thing: even though Snapchat makes it seem like your snaps are totally private, there’s actually a sneaky little trick that smartphones can do called a screenshot. Basically, it captures whatever’s on your screen with just a couple of taps. And guess what? People have been screenshotting Snapchat pics and videos since the beginning.

Now, most Snapchat users don’t really stress about this because the person who takes the screenshot gets a notification. But here’s the kicker: there are ways to get around that notification. So, if you’re curious about how to secretly screenshot snaps without getting caught—or to protect yourself from others who might do it—keep reading. We’ve got you covered no matter whether you’re on Android or iOS.

Secret Snapshots on Android

Now, Android is known for being more flexible and open than Apple’s iOS. You can install apps from places other than the official Play Store, and those apps have a bit more freedom to do what they want. This means you can find ways to secretly screenshot snaps on Snapchat without anyone knowing. Here are a couple of methods we like.

Screen Recording Trick (The Best Choice)

This is hands-down the easiest way to save a snap on Android. And you don’t need any special skills or tools. Just make sure you have a screen recording app running in the background while you’re using Snapchat, and voila! You can save whatever you want without anyone suspecting a thing. Oh, and by the way, only Android phones can do this without using any extra hardware. So, if you’ve got a Google Pixel 3 or a Samsung Galaxy S10, you’re in luck! Let’s see how it’s done.

To begin, I need a really great screen recording app for my Android. There are many options available on Google Play, like AZ Screen Recorder and Mobizen Screen Recorder. Typically, I would suggest browsing through the listings to find the best fit for your needs. However, I want to recommend my personal favorite app, DU Recorder. I’ve mentioned DU Recorder before and, overall, I find it to be the best recorder for Android. It’s fast, user-friendly, and completely free without any annoying in-app purchases or ads. Throughout this guide, I’ll be using DU Recorder.

Once you’ve installed DU Recorder on your phone, open the app from your app drawer. At first, the main screen will be blank because you haven’t recorded any videos yet. However, this is where you’ll find your recordings once you start making them. The screen has four tabs at the top: videos, photos, an editor for your recordings, and a settings tab on the far left.

Before we start recording, let’s adjust a few settings. Go to the settings tab here to make the necessary changes. First, match your recording resolution with your device’s resolution. For reference, most mid-range and some high-end phones have a 1080p resolution (like the Moto G6 and G7, or the OnePlus 6T), while flagship devices usually have a resolution of 1440p. It’s a good idea to set your device’s recording resolution at around 1080p or higher.

Next, set your video recording setting to about 6Mbps or higher for better quality. Make sure your FPS (frames per second) is set to “Auto.” Finally, grant DU Recorder permission to record audio through your phone’s microphone so you can capture sound in your video snaps. After making these changes and getting comfortable with the app, you can return to your home screen. For now, simply launching the app for the first time was all we needed to do.

When you look at your home screen, you’ll notice a small, semi-transparent orange icon on the right side of your display. If you tap on this icon, it will open a quick-launch menu for DU Recorder. Depending on whether you want to save a photo or a video, you’ll find the respective tool in this menu.

At the top of the menu, there’s a red button labeled “Record.” Once you press this button, it will automatically start recording your screen. At the bottom of the menu, you’ll see a red camera icon, which allows you to take a screenshot of your screen.

While you can technically use the screenshot button to capture your screen, we recommend using the screen record option for both photos and videos. Even though saving a photo using the screen record option requires a little more effort, we prefer it because it provides additional security compared to the screenshot shortcut.

First off, make sure you’ve followed the instructions to change the settings on your device as I explained earlier. Once that’s done, you can start recording on DU Recorder by pressing the record button on its quick-launch menu. Your phone will begin recording after a countdown. Now, open Snapchat and view the snap or story you want to save. Don’t take a screenshot using the hardware keys, just watch the snap for a few seconds and close it. Repeat this process for each snap you want to save. For video snaps, let the entire video play. Don’t worry about stopping and starting the recording, as we can edit it later. When you’re done capturing what you need, exit the app and use the quick-launch menu on DU Recorder to stop the recording.

Great, you’ve successfully saved your snaps! Now comes the easy part. Open DU Recorder again and you’ll see your video saved on the main display of the app. From here, you have a few options:

• You can watch the video back on your phone. While the video plays, you can take screenshots of any snaps you want to save as photos. This essentially captures the video frame as a still image and saves the snap to your phone’s internal storage.
• If you want to save a video snap from this recording, you can use DU’s built-in editor. It allows you to trim and crop the video, removing any unwanted parts and saving it as a new copy. You can also rotate or crop your newly-saved snap. If you’re not familiar with how the editor works, check out our detailed How-To guide for DU Recorder here.

Once you’ve saved everything you need from the recorded video, you can delete the original recording from both the app and your phone. This ensures that there’s no evidence of your snap-saving activity, while still keeping your own copy and avoiding the alert notification sent to other users. If you need to record a new snap, simply start a fresh recording before viewing the content.

No Data Method (Unverified)

I have to be honest with you, this method is a bit tricky to test. It doesn’t work on iOS for sure, and on Android, it’s uncertain whether Snapchat has completely removed this capability from the app. The idea behind this method is to take a screenshot of the app while your phone is in Airplane mode. Since your phone can’t connect to a network, it won’t send a notification to the user. In theory, this is correct. In fact, if you take a screenshot while in Airplane mode, your phone won’t send any notifications to that user, so you might get away with it. However, you’ll eventually have to reconnect to data, either through mobile networks or Wi-Fi, and as soon as you do that, the notification will be sent. In theory, you can use this method to delay the notification, but the user will still find out eventually.

While this method has been proven not to work on iOS, it’s a bit unclear on Android devices. We’ve seen cases where notifications were sent after reconnecting to a network, but we’ve also seen occasions where other users were not notified at all. If you decide to give this method a try, be careful, as it seems to work only some of the time on Android phones. In the worst-case scenario, you can at least delay the notification to other users, so it’s worth a shot if you’re interested. Now, let’s see how this method works.

First, make sure Snapchat is not in Travel Mode in your settings. Usually, we recommend enabling Travel Mode to prevent the app from using mobile data in the background, which saves both data usage and battery life. However, in this case, you want the app to load in the background. Open the camera interface on Snapchat and swipe down, then tap the Settings cog icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Look for the “Data Saver” option and make sure it’s turned on.

When you get a new snap, don’t open it right away. First, take a quick look to see if the snap has loaded in the background. Below the snap, there will be text that either says “Tap to view” or “Tap to load.” If it says “Tap to load,” tap the icon once and wait for the snap to load. When the icon changes back to “Tap to view,” don’t open the snap yet. Put your phone on Airplane mode to disconnect from the internet, then go back to Snapchat. Despite being offline, you can still open the snap that has loaded. Open the snap, take a screenshot using your device’s button combination for screenshots (usually Power+Volume Down), and then exit the app.

As I mentioned earlier, Snapchat may send a notification to the other user as soon as your phone connects to a new network, so be careful. Here are a couple of recommendations to avoid this notification when you reconnect to a network, although they may not always work.

• Wait several hours before reconnecting your device to a network. There seems to be a correlation between the time passed and whether or not Snapchat reports the screenshot.
• Go to your phone’s settings menu, select “Apps,” then “Snapchat,” and finally “Storage.” From there, click on “Clear Cache” to remove the recent memory storage of Snapchat’s application data.
• Uninstall Snapchat from your device. If the app isn’t active, it can’t send a notification to the other user. Wait for some time, then reinstall the app on your phone before logging back in.

I must note that we don’t necessarily recommend this strategy because Snapchat could update the app at any time to make this solution ineffective. So if you decide to try this method, proceed with caution. Otherwise, I suggest using one of the other methods on this list.

Taking Screenshots on iOS

iOS devices have had a built-in screen recorder since iOS 11, but unfortunately, you can’t use it on iOS without alerting Snapchat to your activity. Unlike Android, which currently doesn’t have a built-in screen recorder (although it will be available in the upcoming Android Q release this year), iOS will record your screen without an external app, but the other person will be notified within the app. These restrictions make it a bit more difficult to capture screenshots without using an external source, typically a computer. However, let’s explore some options.

Using QuickTime on Mac

While we’re all excited about having native screen recording on Apple’s mobile platform, things are a bit more complicated at the moment. On iOS 10, you can’t record your display unless you’ve jailbroken your phone, but we don’t recommend that due to stability, battery, and security concerns. Instead, you’ll need an external recording device to take screenshots, and the easiest option is to use Apple’s QuickTime application, which is only available on Mac. However, if you have a Mac, you’ll be happy to know that recording your display is just a few steps away. Let’s dive in!

To start, connect your iPhone to your Mac using your Lightning cable. Open QuickTime Player on your Mac, either from your apps folder or by using Launchpad to select the app. When QuickTime is open, click ‘File’ in the menu bar and select “New Movie Recording.” A recording menu will appear on your screen, using the webcam on your Mac as the default video source. From there, click the arrow next to the record button to choose your iPhone as the source for the recording. Be sure to select your iPhone’s microphone for sound recording. Once you’ve chosen your video and audio sources, you’re ready to capture your screen.

Now, click the record button. You can use your phone as you normally would, including opening and viewing snaps. When you’ve finished viewing your snaps, stop the recording by tapping the stop button on your Mac. QuickTime also allows you to trim your video within the app. Click the edit button in the menu bar and select ‘Trim.’ Use the yellow handles to choose the part of the video you want to keep, leaving out the parts you don’t want. Once you’ve made your selection, click the trim button to save your trimmed video.

Once you’re done, you can save and exit QuickTime, with your edited screen capture from Snapchat saved on your Mac. However, be aware that Snapchat can detect this method if you’re using iOS 11 or later, so it’s best to test it on a non-important snap first before using it regularly.

Apowersoft (Win/Mac)

For Windows users who have iPhones, Apowersoft is our top choice for screen recording software. It has several advantages over using QuickTime. It works on any platform, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues. Apowersoft uses Airplay to mirror your iPhone screen wirelessly, as long as your phone and computer are on the same network. Here’s how to use it:

Go to Apowersoft’s website and download the iPhone/iPad Recorder. It’s completely free, so you don’t have to pay anything upfront. Once the app is installed and running, swipe up into Control Center on your iPhone to access and connect through Airplay, just like with any other Airplay application. Once your devices are synced, you’ll see your iPhone’s display on your computer monitor.

When your device is mirrored, all you need to do to use the Apowersoft app for recording your screen is tap the red circle icon in the top-left corner. Once you press this button, you’ll start recording your screen directly to your Mac or PC. In our tests, we found that this actually gives you a smoother and better recording experience than using QuickTime, as long as your internet connection is fast and stable enough for wireless broadcasting. When you’re done recording the snap you want to keep discreetly, simply tap the recording icon again to stop. Your recording will appear in a brand-new window on your desktop. You can then choose to save or delete the video as you wish.

Naturally, there are pros and cons to using Apowersoft instead of QuickTime for recording. The quality is slightly better, with fewer interruptions and glitches in the recording, and we always prefer wireless recording whenever possible. However, transferring files to your phone can be a bit inconvenient, and you’ll need a separate app to edit and customize how the recording begins and ends. Nevertheless, it’s worth downloading Apowersoft to give it a try and see for yourself.