You are trying to be sneaky by taking a screenshot of your friend’s story or image post on Facebook. But what if they get a notification when you take that snap? This is a fairly common worry most social media users have.
With two billion+ users, Facebook is one of the most engaging social media platforms and one of the most diverse. It has been around since most of our childhoods and is a great way to keep people around us updated about our ongoing life.
If you wonder if Facebook notifies you when you screenshot a story or picture, the short answer is No. For more details, keep reading until the end of the blog.
Table of Contents
What Is a Facebook Story?
Image Source – Techcrunch.com
Launched in 2017, Facebook Story is a user-generated image or video that one can share as ephemeral content. This means that an uploaded Facebook story remains active for 24 hours only.
This is similar to what you get on other social media platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram.
Not just for accounts, the Facebook Story feature can be used by Facebook pages, too, making it a lot more accessible for everyone.
Also Read – Can You See Who Views Your Featured Photos on Facebook
Does Facebook Notify You When Someone Takes a Screenshot of Your Story or picture?
You can take a deep breath because, unlike Snapchat, Facebook doesn’t notify a user when someone else takes a screenshot of their story or picture.
While this is an excellent benefit for people who are stalking your account, it isn’t the best for your privacy. Because even when someone screenshots your posts or stories, you won’t even know about it.
The Facebook app or Meta has yet to update the “screenshot notification” feature. But it looks like Facebook Messenger isn’t playing around.
If you screenshot a chat on Message, the end-to-end encryption detects the breach in privacy and notifies the users. But the feature is only functional for disappearing messages, much like on Snapchat.
The vanishing feature on Facebook Messenger has come in handy for many users until now. So, including an alert system when someone is screenshotting disappearing messages is a significant first step to strengthening user privacy.
Also Read – How to Find Drafts on Facebook?
Facebook Guideline on Taking Screenshots of Someone’s Story
Despite the advancements in privacy features, we can’t deny that Facebook or Meta has a long way to go.
The need to screenshot someone’s story on Facebook can happen due to multiple reasons:
- You are stalking someone
- You came across a funny or relatable post you want to share with someone
- You came across a business page’s ad you want to save
- You want to share important information from a private Facebook account, and so on
You might need to take a screenshot of an image, post, or story on Facebook for multiple reasons. Facebook doesn’t have any standard guidelines for taking a screenshot.
You can go ahead and take on depending on your comfort. You can directly tap on the “Screenshot button” from the notification toggle, or you can simultaneously press down your volume and power buttons to take a screenshot.
Following are some of the methods worth knowing (across different devices):
Windows PC
You can take a screenshot using the Print Screen button on your keyboard. If that doesn’t work, Windows has a built-in snipping tool to crop and save a Facebook Story or post at your convenience. You can also use screen recording if you want to save a video format of the Facebook story.
Mac Computer
To take a screenshot on Mac, press Shift, Command, and 3. You can move the cursor to adjust how much you wish to snip and save from the active screen. Screen recording is another option.
iPhone or iPad
Press down on the power and home button simultaneously. Once you hear the shutter go off, release the buttons, and your screenshot is saved to the device.
Android Smartphone
Press the power and volume buttons simultaneously until you hear the shutter go off. Once done, release the buttons, and your screenshot is saved to the gallery.
Either way, Facebook doesn’t detect and notify the user that you snapped their story or post, so you don’t have to worry at all.
Also Read – Why Can’t I See Comments on Facebook
Are There Any Features That Notify You of a Screenshot on Your Story?
Surprisingly, the answer is still no.
Facebook doesn’t have any specific features that notify you of a screenshot of your story.
But, while a Story is a public knowledge you share with your friends, a personal message isn’t. Since direct messages hold more priority regarding privacy, Facebook announced a recent update to strengthen that aspect of the social media platform.
Facebook Messenger now has a screenshot alert whenever someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing message. If you have “Disappearing Message” or “Vanish Mode” enabled in Facebook messenger and someone takes a screenshot of those messages, you will be notified immediately.
With the heightened data breach and questions on the security and privacy protocols, Facebook is actively working to improve the privacy features on the app.
Whether or not Meta rolls out the same feature for Facebook and Instagram stories is something we’d have to wait and see.
Taking a Screenshot of Someone’s Facebook Story is Legal or Illegal?
Screenshots aren’t a new thing on social media platforms. They have been around since the advent of smartphones.
So, if you are worried that taking a screenshot might land you in jail, it won’t. But, there are stipulations in place. This means that if you are misusing the screenshot to perform illegal activities, that might be considered illegal.
But taking a screenshot and sharing it with friends isn’t illegal or punishable. We recommend you seek permission from the user if you are screenshotting sensitive information.
Conclusion
And that’s all you need to know about screenshotting Facebook stories and the potential risk of notification when you do so. Currently, you can screenshot without any inhibition, but with the way Meta is working to improve their security and privacy, don’t be surprised if they come out with new notification features in the future.
About Carson Derrow
