Screenshot a Direct Message in Instagram without the Sender Knowing

by Popa Loredana · November 5, 2018

Instagram has one day decided to add a new feature which alerts users when someone takes a screenshot of one of their stories. This feature has been seen in Snapchat for some time and people loved it since it allows them greater control over their privacy, so it obviously rolled out to all users.

Now, Instagram Direct lets us all send photos and videos that permanently expire after being viewed and we love using it, but just like Snapchat, this feature safeguards against unwanted saving by sending a notification to the sender whenever a screenshot is taken by the recipient.

I can only bet that you are wondering if there is any way to screenshot a Direct Message in Instagram without the sender knowing that you are doing it too and I have good news for you. If you’re interested in taking sneaky screenshots of Direct Messages and you don’t want anyone to know, then I have the perfect method for you to get around.

Note: I want you to know that this trick will also work with Snapchat — just be sure to kill the app before restoring the internet connection or else your secret will be unveiled. Don’t say that you haven’t been warned about that!

How to Screenshot a Direct Message in Instagram without the Sender Knowing:

So, let’s assume that you’ve received an image that you desperately want. What to do next? First of all, it’s time to kill off your internet connections — both cellular data and Wi-Fi. The quickest way to do this is by turning on Airplane Mode;
Have you tapped the airplane icon to disable all connectivity? This means that you can now open and screenshot the message;
Up next, you’ll need to exit the app completely to keep it from detecting your screenshot as soon as you go back online. To do this, tap on the recent apps button Android, then you’ll see a list of all running apps. From there, just find the Instagram app in the list and swipe it away;
At this point, you can turn off Airplane Mode back in order to restore internet connectivity.