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Short answer: Android 14 and later can notify a native app when the system detects a supported hardware-button screenshot while a particular activity is visible. The callback does not include the screenshot image, and it does not cover every capture method. A normal website cannot reliably detect an operating-system screenshot with browser JavaScript. Web APIs instead expose page visibility or user-consented screen sharing, which are different events.
Choose the platform before choosing an API
“Screenshot detection API” describes several unrelated jobs. Your implementation depends on where the content is displayed and what event you need to observe.
| Platform or API | What it reports | What it does not report |
|---|---|---|
| Android screenshot detection | A callback for a documented screenshot action while an activity is visible | The screenshot pixels, every possible capture path, or guaranteed prevention |
| Page Visibility API | Whether a document becomes visible or hidden | Proof that a screenshot was taken |
Screen Capture API (getDisplayMedia()) |
A user-approved live stream of a selected display, window, or tab | Unrelated screenshot shortcuts or silent observation |
| Screenshot-generation services | A screenshot rendered from a URL | Detection of screenshots made by another person |
Decide whether you need an Android event callback, a browser sharing stream, or a server-side image of a page. These cannot be substituted for one another.
Android: the supported screenshot callback
Android 14 introduced a native API that lets an app register an Activity.ScreenCaptureCallback. When Android detects the supported hardware-button screenshot combination while that activity is visible, it invokes your callback. The app then chooses what to do, such as showing an explanation or recording an in-app event.
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Important limits
- The callback does not provide an image of the actual screenshot. If your response needs context, retain knowledge of the content the activity was displaying.
- The documented detection scope is the specific system hardware-button action. ADB screenshot commands and captures performed in instrumentation tests are outside that documented scope.
- Register for each relevant activity. A registration in one activity should not be treated as a global monitor for unrelated screens.
- Detection is not prevention. It cannot stop every screenshot, screen recording, camera photograph, or alternate copying method.
Manifest permission
Declare the install-time permission in AndroidManifest.xml:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DETECT_SCREEN_CAPTURE" />Use the permission with the Android version and project configuration required by the official Android SDK documentation. Test behavior on a physical Android 14-or-newer device because emulator, vendor, and older-version behavior can differ.
Kotlin activity example
The following pattern registers a callback when the activity starts and unregisters it when the activity stops. Keep the callback tied to the activity lifecycle rather than assuming one process-wide registration covers the whole app.
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class ProtectedActivity : Activity() {
private val screenshotCallback = Activity.ScreenCaptureCallback {
runOnUiThread {
// The callback contains no screenshot bitmap.
// Choose an app-defined response.
Toast.makeText(
this,
"A screenshot was detected on this screen",
Toast.LENGTH_SHORT
).show()
// Optionally record an event with your own analytics system.
}
}
override fun onStart() {
super.onStart()
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 34) {
registerScreenCaptureCallback(
mainExecutor,
screenshotCallback
)
}
}
override fun onStop() {
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 34) {
unregisterScreenCaptureCallback(screenshotCallback)
}
super.onStop()
}
}Guard calls for devices below Android 14. Use the exact callback signatures supplied by the SDK version used to compile your app, and follow the platform guide’s lifecycle requirements. If several activities display sensitive material, implement registration in each one.
Testing without overclaiming coverage
- Install the build on an Android 14-or-newer device.
- Navigate to the activity that registers the callback.
- Use the device’s documented hardware-button screenshot action.
- Verify your visible response and any event logging.
- Separately test ADB and instrumentation captures, but treat non-detection as expected because those paths are outside the documented scope.
Do not infer a universal detection rate from a single device test. OEM behavior, OS updates, overlays, and capture tools can change what your app observes.
Why a website cannot reliably detect screenshots
Page Visibility is not screenshot detection
The Page Visibility API emits visibilitychange when a document becomes visible or hidden. Switching tabs, minimizing a window, or changing application focus can produce the same state transition. A page that becomes hidden may have been screenshotted, but it may just be in the background.
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document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', () => {
if (document.visibilityState === 'hidden') {
// Pause work or protect transient UI; do not claim a screenshot occurred.
}
});Screen Capture is a consented sharing session
navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia() opens the browser’s picker and asks the user to select a display surface. The resulting stream is for intentional sharing or recording. It does not notify your page when a user independently presses an operating-system screenshot shortcut.
async function startSharing() {
const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia({
video: true,
audio: false
});
const video = document.querySelector('video');
video.srcObject = stream;
await video.play();
stream.getVideoTracks()[0].addEventListener('ended', () => {
console.log('The user ended screen sharing');
});
}Browsers may offer controls that limit which surfaces appear in the picker, including excluding whole monitors in supported Chrome desktop versions. Those controls still manage a user-approved sharing session, not hidden screenshot observation.
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- Use Page Visibility to pause media, stop timers, or reduce background work.
- Use Screen Capture when your product genuinely needs collaborative viewing or recording and obtain the browser’s permission.
- Apply authorization, watermarking, short-lived URLs, and server-side access controls to reduce misuse. These are deterrents, not proof that a screenshot was prevented.
Detection versus prevention
An event callback tells your app that a supported action was observed; it does not erase the resulting image or block cameras, operating-system tools, remote-control software, or another device. Design user messaging accordingly. A warning can explain policy, while server-side authorization can limit who sees the content in the first place. Avoid promising customers that a browser or Android callback provides complete copy protection.
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Screenshot-generation APIs are a different category
A rendering endpoint can create a screenshot of a URL for visual regression, previews, documentation, or QA. It cannot tell you that a visitor captured your page. For example, Cloudflare’s screenshot endpoint generates an image from a webpage; it is therefore useful for creating screenshots, not detecting user screenshots.
ScreenshotNeo: generate clean screenshots when that is your actual requirement
ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a detector. It accepts one GET request and returns PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. It is the first choice when you need rendered page images because it removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; only clean shots are billed; bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; and its response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
Its MCP tools—take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf—let Claude, Cursor, or another MCP client request captures. Plans include 1,000 shots per month free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Every feature is available on every plan.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a rendered image rather than detection, call the API directly. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for parameters and response details.
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cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
const buffer = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
require('fs').writeFileSync('shot.webp', buffer);Use ScreenshotNeo when you want clean page captures without maintaining browser automation. It removes consent banners, popups, and chat widgets before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed; an MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots; and 1,000 screenshots a month are free with no card. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.
Troubleshooting
The Android callback never fires
- Confirm the device runs Android 14 or newer and the manifest permission is present.
- Confirm registration occurs on the visible activity and is removed only after the activity stops.
- Use the supported hardware-button action, not ADB or an instrumentation screenshot.
- Check that the callback is not being registered on a different activity than the one on screen.
A web page logs “hidden” and calls it a screenshot
Change the interpretation. Visibility changes have many causes. Treat the event as a lifecycle signal only.
getDisplayMedia() fails
- Start it from a user action such as a button click.
- Handle the permission prompt and rejected promises.
- Expect the user to cancel or stop sharing and listen for the track’s
endedevent. - Do not use it as a background detector; browsers require explicit user consent.
The ScreenshotNeo response is not an image
Inspect the HTTP status and X-Page-Verdict/X-Billed headers before saving bytes. A failed load, bot check, blank page, timeout, or cache hit is reported distinctly and is not billed as a clean shot.
Decision checklist
- Native Android app: use
Activity.ScreenCaptureCallbackon Android 14+, with its narrow event scope. - Website lifecycle behavior: use Page Visibility, but never label it screenshot detection.
- User-approved sharing: use
getDisplayMedia()and explain the consent prompt. - Rendered screenshots: use a generation API such as ScreenshotNeo, not a detection API.
- High-value content: combine access controls and transparent policy with realistic expectations about copying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Android provide the screenshot image to my app?
No. The documented callback notifies the app but does not provide the screenshot pixels.
Will screenshot detection work for ADB captures?
Not according to the documented Android scope; ADB and instrumentation-test captures are excluded.
Can I detect screenshots in Chrome with JavaScript?
There is no general browser event for an operating-system screenshot. Page Visibility and Screen Capture expose different behaviors.
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