Reuters
- WhatsApp does not notify users of any screenshots taken within the app.
- Even its disappearing media feature, View Once, allows screenshots without notification.
- For better screenshot protection, consider Snapchat or Instagram.
Along with apps like Telegram and Signal, WhatsApp is a highly secure, privacy-focused messaging app that is fully end-to-end encrypted. That makes WhatsApp an obvious choice for users who value security and want to be sure no one can intercept or eavesdrop on messages sent via the app. Unfortunately, WhatsApp has a potential weakness: screenshots. You may wonder if your recipient takes a screenshot within a private chat, will you be notified?
Does WhatsApp notify users about screenshots?
The bottom line: WhatsApp does not notify users when others take a screenshot of any form within the app.
You can take screenshots within the app and the other party has no way to know that you are making a separate record of secure communication. This is true everywhere in the app, including profile pages, the chat inbox, message windows, your status page, and even the ephemeral "View Once" media feature.
Dave Johnson
How other apps notify users about screenshots
There is nothing you can do to make WhatsApp more secure from screenshots, but keep in mind that this kind of protection is relatively rare. There are some notable exceptions, though. Consider the highly privacy-conscious Snapchat app, for example, which puts a notification directly in chat messages when a screenshot has been taken. Likewise, BeReal — a social media app which emphasizes unfiltered photos taken once a day — notifies you when someone takes a screenshot of your photo.
Most other apps are less diligent about safeguarding your privacy from screenshots. For the most part, Instagram doesn't notify you if screenshots are taken, though there is one important exception: Instagram informs you if someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing photo in a private chat. And Facebook doesn't notify users at all about screenshots in any part of the Facebook app or the Facebook Messenger service.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/does-whatsapp-notify-screenshots