Nowadays, who hasn’t heard of Instagram? Originally released in 2010, the mobile app allows you to easily and conveniently upload pictures onto your account- in other words, it is a photo-sharing platform. Once you’ve registered for an account, which takes a matter of seconds, you can easily choose which photos to post from your camera roll. But wait, that’s not all- Instagram also allows you to tweak the image using various digital filters that are provided. Aside from still images, videos are also supported on the app.
As with all social media platforms, one of the main goals for users is to attain a sizable following. In order for people to like, and hopefully follow your account, your posts must receive some degree of exposure. One way to do this is by attaching hashtags to your posts- think of these as tags that help other people to find and locate your content. In addition to this, you are also able to attach locations to images or videos- this is called geotagging.
Since its inception, Instagram has grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.  Considering its popularity, it’s not surprising that new features are constantly added to the app. In the summer of 2016, the company introduced the notion of “Stories”- that is, the ability for users to share images or videos that are automatically deleted after a period of 24 hours. Once you’ve uploaded something to your Story, you’re able to see which of your followers have viewed the item- but are you able to tell if someone has taken a screenshot of whatever it is that you’ve posted? I mean, we’ve all felt the need at one point, to save an image from someone’s page, right?
Can People Tell If You Have Taken a Screenshot of Their Instagram Story? – 2024 Update
Now, if you’ve ever used Snapchat then you’re probably familiar with how the app sends you a notification when someone has taken a screenshot of your picture. Is it the same on Instagram? Does the other person get notified if you happen to want to save their image or video? What if we want to do so secretly, without the user knowing?
Fortunately, for those of you who like to save a copy of other people’s stories, Instagram does not send the user a notification when you’ve taken a screenshot. This means that you’re safe to save whatever pictures they’ve posted on their story without them knowing.
In recent months, there have been rumors online claiming that Instagram has changed it so that users now receive notifications once a screenshot has been taken. This is false. If you’d like peace of mind, you can easily test it for yourself by asking a friend to screenshot one of your stories and seeing if you’re notified of the action- chances are, you will not be.
Now that that’s out of the way, feel free to take whatever screenshots you need!
But I heard Instagram Has Screenshot Notifications?
Yes, Instagram has implemented screenshot notifications, but as explained above, stories are unaffected. Currently, users will only receive a notification if one has taken a screenshot of a disappearing direct message—this includes both pictures and videos.
What is a Disappearing Direct Message?
As of April 2017, photos and videos shared via direct message have the option of disappearing once they’ve been viewed by the other party. Unlike sharing regular content, you’ll have to take a brand new photo or video on the spot with the blue camera icon for it to disappear; existing content from your camera roll with not disappear.
If you were to screenshot a picture from a disappearing direct message, the other person will be notified. The same goes if you’re recording the screen.
Other Popular Instagram Questions
Curious about the answer? Be sure to read on for we will elaborate more on the topic later.
How do I Post a Story onto my Instagram Account?
Perhaps you’re new to the whole Instagram thing and you’d like to post a story on your page- as that’s what everyone else is doing, how would you go about doing that?
In order to do so, first, you’ll have to open the Instagram app on your mobile device. Remember, Instagram is largely mobile-based; while you are able to view content on the web via a browser, you are unable to upload anything from its site. Will the company be giving its users more control over their account on the web? Seeing as how they’ve emphasized time and time again that it’s a mobile-based app, we’re inclined to say no.
After opening Instagram, input your details and sign onto your account. If you have 2 factor activated, you’ll have to input the code that they’ve texted to your phone. Once you’ve successfully logged in, go to your “home”- that is, click on the house icon on the bottom left. From there, you should see a row of circular icons- these are stories; the ones with a rainbow-colored ring around them are new.
To post a story onto your account, click on the left-most circle which says “+ Your Story”. Afterward, your phone should be brought to camera mode. If you’d like to snap a picture or record a video for your story right then and there, simply press the button. On the other hand, if you’d like to use previously taken content that’s already in your camera roll, swipe down on the screen with one finger.
After swiping down, you should see a list of videos and images that you’ve taken within the past 24 hours. Remember- that’s the whole point of “Stories” after all, to share recently taken content with your followers.
Once you’ve selected a photo or video to share, you should see a mock-up of it on your screen. Now here’s the fun part- you can add stickers, text, or even draw on top of it using the various pencil and stamp tools on the screen (it’s pretty self-explanatory). If you want, you can even add a filter. To do that, tap on the white sparkles next to the sticker icon. Various effects will come up at the bottom (each will be represented with a circular icon). Simply tap on the filter that you’d like to use and it’ll automatically be added to your story.
If you want to save the final product, you can do so by clicking on the save button. Otherwise, if you’re ready to share your Story, you can do so by clicking on the “+” button beside “save”- doing so will effectively post it onto your stories.
Who Can See My Stories?
Ultimately, the visibility of your Instagram Story depends on your account’s privacy settings. Is your profile private? public? If your account is set to private, only your followers will be able to see your posts. Oppositely, if you have a public account, anyone will be able to see your story; your followers will be able to see it on their news feed while others will be able to locate it from your profile.
There’s also the option of sharing your story among a select group of individuals using the Close Friends feature, which we’ll be going over in a later section.
What if I Want to Mute Someone’s Story?
If there’s someone in particular whose story you do not wish to see on the top of your news feed, you can make it so that it does not appear by muting their story.
To do this, simply click and hold on their display picture- you should then see an option to mute their story.
Can I See Who Viewed My Instagram Story?
Yes, once you’ve posted something onto your Story, you are able to see who has viewed the content. To do so, simply open your story from your home page and swipe up on your mobile device. Once you’ve done so, you should see a list of names of the individuals who have viewed each video or photo, in addition to a total view count at the corner.
Keep in mind, however, that you won’t be able to see who viewed your Instagram highlights. It used to be possible but the app has since removed that feature. You’ll only be able to see who viewed the highlight if it was posted less than 24 hours ago.
How do I Share a Live Video from my Stories?
In November 2016, Instagram added a feature that allowed users to share a live video via their story. Unlike other live video platforms, once the stream has ended, it is no longer visible anywhere.
To start an Instagram live video, go to your homepage by clicking on the house icon. From there, click on the camera icon on the top left side of the screen. Next, you’ll want to switch the camera mode from “Normal” to “Live” by tapping on the word “Live at the bottom”.
From there, your live stream should begin in a few seconds. Once you’ve started a live video, some of your followers may receive a notification. During your live video, you are able to see the number of viewers on the top right-hand corner of the screen under the eye icon; likewise, comments will be made visible at the bottom.
If you’d like to turn off commenting, you can do so by going into your settings (e.g. by clicking on the “…” icon)
Finished? Simply press the end button.
How do I Delete Something from my Story that I’ve Accidentally Posted?
Don’t worry, if you’ve accidentally posted the wrong content to your story, or if you’ve changed your mind, you can easily delete said photo or video. To do so, simply open your story from your home page, click on ‘…” at the bottom of the content, and click “delete” for the item that you’d like to delete.
Can you Mention Someone in a Story?
If you’d like to mention someone in your Instagram story, you can easily do so by typing @username on the item. For reference, you can mention up to ten individuals in each video or story.
Can I Hide my Instagram Story From a Particular Person?
Yes, you have the option of preventing someone from seeing your story. To hide it from said individual, simply go to your Instagram settings via your profile. From there, select “Story Settings”, it should be below “Account”. Next, just tap “Hide My Story From” for the individuals who you’d like to hide your stories from.
The app also launched a ‘Close Friends’ feature in 2018, which allows you to share stories with a select group of individuals. Instead of tapping ‘Your Story’ at the bottom of the screen after recording your story, tap on ‘Close Friends’ on the right (it’ll be green with a star). That’ll share your story with the select group and if the person you’d like to hide the story from isn’t in that group, it’ll automatically be hidden from them so you won’t have to worry about them seeing it.
Adding and Removing Users To Your Close Friends:
You can manually add users to your Close Friends list. Start by navigating to your profile (tap on your display icon at the bottom right-hand side). Tap on the three horizontal lines icon at the top right and select ‘Close Friends’ (third from the bottom).
On the next screen, you’ll be able to scroll through your followers. To add someone to your Close Friends List, simply tap on the circle to the right of their username. Once you’ve selected everyone, tap on the blue ‘Done’ button at the bottom and you’re good to go.
Similarly, you can remove users by tapping on the blue checkmark next to their name—that will remove them from your Close Friends List.
Can I Reply to Someone’s Instagram Story?
Do you have something to say about your friend’s story? Perhaps they’ve uploaded a picture of their new puppy and you’d like to exclaim to them how cute he is?
The answer is yes, you can easily type a message and reply to someone’s story. To do so, just open their story, and from there, click “Send Message” on the bottom right”.
You can also reply with an emoji using the ‘Quick Reactions’ feature. Once you’ve hit ‘Send Message’, two rows of preset emojis will appear at the top of the screen. Tap on any one of them and the other user will see that as your reply.
Will Instagram Notify Someone If You Record Their Reel in 2024?
Many people have been wondering whether or not Instagram sends notifications for reels. The answer is no. The app won’t notify the other person if you screen-record their Instagram reel—so feel free to do that if you feel that it’s necessary. Just remember to respect the poster’s privacy. For example, if they posted the reel from a private account (the reel will also be private by default), it’s probably not a good idea to share it around.
