How to Take Screenshots on Android When the App Doesn't Allow It

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One main advantage of Android that has made many tech enthusiasts prefer it over other mobile operating systems, is the liberty to do anything you want. With Android, you can install anything, and you can customize virtually everything about your phone.

With all this being said, there are still some things that you can't do. As an example, for various reasons, some apps decide to restrict you from taking screenshots of the app. In turn, for various reasons, you might want to take a screenshot anyway. Read on to find out how you can bypass this restriction.

Why Do Some Apps Restrict Screenshots?

Annoying as it is, developers don't restrict screenshots for no reason. Be it privacy or security, there's always a grain of reason for doing this.

Most banking and payment apps block screenshots for security reasons. Chrome blocks screenshots in its Incognito tabs and windows for privacy reasons. Another example would be Telegram's self-destructing photos, where you can't screenshot them.

Regardless of why the developers decided to restrict screenshots, you can still take screenshots anywhere you want. You just have to get your hands dirty a bit.

There are various methods for taking screenshots in apps that don't let you. Some methods work in most apps though not all. Here we take a look at two of these methods.

Method 1: Use Google Assistant

Some Android apps that block screenshots merely block the screenshot button combo on your phone. This means that if you use any way to capture a screenshot other than pressing the button combo, you can bypass the restriction.

Google Assistant is a built-in app in most Android phones that lets you capture screenshots without using the button combination.

  • Open the app that you want to screenshot.
  • Activate Google Assistant. You can do this by saying Hey Google! or holding the home key depending on your settings.
  • Say or type Take a screenshot. Google Assistant will now capture a screenshot.

    • Simple as this method is, it has low chances of success as most apps that are serious about blocking screenshots have predicted this method. For instance, using Google Assistant to take a screenshot from an Incognito tab in Chrome will take a screenshot, but the screenshot will be a black screen.

    If this method didn't work for you, then move on to the next section where we'll describe a method that lets you screenshot any app on your phone.

    Method 2: Take Screenshots Using scrcpy

    This is the ultimate method as it can bypass virtually any sort of screenshot restriction in Android apps. scrcpy is a light-weight screen mirroring program that lets you view and control your Android phone's display on your PC. Once you mirror your Android's screen on your computer, you can simply use print screen or Snipping Tool to take screenshots.

    scrcpy is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can install scrcpy with Homebrew on macOS. Check the download link below for more details on installing scrcpy on Mac and Linux.

    As for this article, we're going to install scrcpy on Windows, which you can do using Scoop. Read our article on how to install Scoop to get started.

    Download: scrcpy (Free)

    Once you have Scoop installed, it's time to install scrcpy.

  • Open Command Prompt. You can do this by searching for cmd in the Start menu.
  • Once inside Command Prompt, run the command below:
    scoop install scrcpy
    This command will call on Scoop to install scrcpy. This can take a while depending on how fast your connection is.

    • Now that you have scrcpy installed the next stage is preparing your phone. For scrcpy to access your phone's screen, you need to enable USB debugging on your Android device. You need to have Developer mode enabled to do this.

  • Go to Settings in your Android phone.
  • Scroll down to the bottom and select Developer options.
  • Tap the switch next to USB Debugging to change it to On.

    • Now both your phone and your computer are ready. Connect your phone to your computer's USB and let's get to the final steps.

  • Open Command Prompt.
  • Type in the command below and press Enter:
    scrcpy

    • A window will pop open, and you'll be able to see your phone's screen. You can even use your computer's mouse and keyboard on your phone through this window to navigate and type. Now with your phone's screen mirrored onto your computer, you can freely capture screenshots using print screen and other screen capture methods.

    Capture Anything and Everything

    Though some apps try to restrict you from capturing screenshots in the app, try as they might, they will fail if you're persistent about getting your screenshots. Now having read this article, you know how to take screenshots in any app regardless of its restrictions. It's your phone, after all, and you're the master of this ship.

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