- To screenshot on Snapchat without someone knowing, you'll need to know how to set your phone in Airplane Mode and clear the app's cache.
- You can clear the Snapchat cache through the Settings menu underneath Account Actions.
- Snapchat typically notifies someone when you've screenshotted their messages or stories in the app, but Airplane Mode can prevent that from happening.
- Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.
As they say, everything you post on the internet is there forever. On Snapchat, an answer to that adage is built into the platform. The app's original promise was that anything you sent would disappear almost immediately after you sent it, lost to the internet aether.
With the added option for snaps not to have a timer and for conversations not to disappear, there's less of an atmosphere of secrecy on the app. That includes when you take screenshots. When you get a screenshot of a message or snap, it's standard policy for Snapchat to notify the person whose material you've captured immediately through the social platform.
While this helps protect user privacy, sometimes you may not want to notify a user of your screenshos. You might want to show someone who's not on the app something from a friend's story or even turn that perfect gif or meme response into your phone background.
In these cases, there's a way to take screenshots in Snapchat without notifying the person you're screenshotting. It will involve Airplane mode and clearing your app cache. Once you do the latter, Snapchat won't remember that you took the screenshot. Therefore, it won't be able to update the other user's profile to reflect that you took one.
Here's how to do it.
How to take a screenshot on Snapchat without someone knowing
1. Before you open the snap, put your phone in Airplane Mode via Settings.
2. Open the snap and take your screenshot.
3. Before taking your phone out of Airplane Mode, tap your profile icon in the top left corner of the screen.
4. In the top right corner of your profile menu, tap the Settings icon.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings menu. Under Account Actions, tap Clear Cache.
6. In the Clear Cache menu, tap Clear All.
7. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm the action — tap Clear to confirm.
8. Turn Airplane Mode off.
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