Snapchat is a popular messaging and social media app that allows users to send photos, videos, texts and more that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s features is the ability to video chat with friends and share your screen. This can be useful for collaborating on projects or just showing something on your phone to someone else. However, many Snapchat users wonder – does Snapchat notify the other person if you share your screen with them during a video call?
Does Snapchat Notify for Screen Sharing?
The short answer is no, Snapchat does not send a notification when you start sharing your screen with someone during a video call. There will be no banner, popup, or other alert to indicate to the other user that you have begun screen sharing.
From their perspective on the video call, the screen sharing will just automatically start showing them what is on your device’s screen. So they will suddenly just see your screen without any formal notification from Snapchat that screen sharing has commenced.
Why Doesn’t Snapchat Notify for Screen Sharing?
Snapchat likely does not have an on-screen notification for screen sharing because they want the process to be quick, seamless and uncomplicated. Having popups or banners appear could potentially interrupt the video call and disrupt the experience.
The lack of notifications allows users to spontaneously share their screens without any extra steps. If they want to show something on their phone during a video call, they can just tap the screen share icon and instantly begin sharing the screen – no need to confirm anything with the other user first via a notification.
Does the Other Person Know You’re Sharing Your Screen?
Even without a formal notification, the person you are sharing the screen with will still be able to tell that you have initiated screen sharing.
This is because they will suddenly be able to see your screen within the video call window. So it will be quite obvious that you are sharing your screen with them.
They just won’t get an actual alert saying “Person has started sharing screen.” But again, since they’ll see your screen, it will be clear what is happening.
Is There Any Indication at All That You’re Sharing Screen?
The only slight indication within Snapchat that you have started sharing your screen is that the screen sharing icon will turn from white to blue.
So if you are on the video call and look for the screen sharing icon in the bottom bar and see it has turned blue, that means screen sharing is currently active.
But the person viewing the shared screen does not see the toolbar with the screen sharing icon change colors – so for them, there is no notification at all.
Does Snapchat Notify When You Stop Sharing?
No, Snapchat does not send a notification when you stop sharing your screen either. Just like when you start sharing your screen, there is no formal alert to the other user when you end the screen sharing.
For them, the shared screen will just suddenly stop and return to showing the video call image. The screen sharing icon also turns from blue back to white when screen sharing ends, but again only you can see that change – not the person viewing the shared screen.
Why You Might Want Notification
While Snapchat has designed screen sharing to start spontaneously without notification, there are some cases where getting a notification could be helpful:
- Lets the other person know to pay extra attention to the screen since you are showing them something.
- Prevents confusion if the shared screen suddenly pops up without warning.
- Allows the viewer a second to get oriented and understand what they are seeing.
- Can serve as a confirmation that the screen sharing worked properly.
Overall though, Snapchat likely determined that avoiding notifications results in a quicker and smoother screen sharing experience for video calls. The lack of notifications allows users to instantly show their screens without the extra step of sending or receiving an alert.
How to Notify User You Are Sharing Screen
If you really want to explicitly notify the other user that you are about to share your screen, there are a couple options:
Verbal Notification
The simplest way is to just tell the person you are about to share your screen. You can say something like “Hey, I’m going to share my screen now and show you…” This verbal notification allows you to alert them that your screen is about to pop up.
Messaging Notification
Another option is to send the user a Chat or Snap message right before you share your screen. You could message “I’m sharing my screen now” and then immediately start the screen sharing. The message will prepare them for your screen to appear.
Countdown
For a more seamless experience, you can do a “3, 2, 1” countdown before tapping the share screen button. This allows you to notify them right before the screen pops up.
So in summary, while Snapchat itself does not have built-in notifications for screen sharing, there are ways you can notify the other user yourself if needed.
How to Tell if Someone Else is Sharing Screen
Since Snapchat has no notifications, how can you tell as the viewer if the other person on the video call is sharing their screen with you?
There are a couple ways to determine if the other user has initiated screen sharing:
- Their screen suddenly appears instead of their camera image.
- What you’re viewing doesn’t look like their camera image anymore.
- You can see their phone screen including apps, home screen, etc.
- They verbally tell you they are sharing their screen.
- The screen transitions quickly back to their camera when they stop the screen share.
So in summary, the appearance of their screen instead of the standard camera view is the main way to know that screen sharing has started. Just pay attention to what you are viewing during the video call.
Conclusion
Snapchat does not send any alerts or notifications when a user starts or stops sharing their screen during a video call. The screen sharing begins automatically without prompts to provide a seamless experience.
While notifications might be helpful in some cases, Snapchat seems to have determined that allowing spontaneous screen sharing without disruptions is optimal. The person viewing the shared screen can still tell it has started based on the appearance of the other user’s screen within the video call.
So if you ever want to explicitly notify someone that you are about to share your screen, you’ll need to use verbal or text-based communication instead of relying on a Snapchat notification. Overall, the lack of notifications contributes to quick and easy screen sharing for Snapchat users.
| Snapchat Screen Sharing Notifications | Yes or No? |
|---|---|
| Notification when user starts sharing screen | No |
| Notification when user stops sharing screen | No |
| On-screen indication that screen sharing is active | Screen sharing icon turns blue (only visible to sharer) |
Other Key Facts About Snapchat Screen Sharing:
- Appears instantly without warning – no notification to person viewing
- Viewer can tell when screen sharing starts due to appearance of sharer’s screen
- Sharer should verbally notify viewer if they want warning before sharing
- Screen sharing icon change only visible to sharer as indication
- Disappears instantly when ended – no notification to viewer
Summary of Main Points
– Snapchat does not provide notifications when you start or stop sharing your screen in a video call.
– The person viewing the shared screen can still tell it has started based on what they see in the video call window.
– The lack of notifications allows for quick, seamless screen sharing without disruptions.
– If you want to notify someone before sharing, do it verbally or via text messaging.
– Look for the appearance of their screen to know if someone is sharing with you.
– The screen sharing icon changing color is the only indicator, but only the sharer can see that.
– No alerts when ending screen sharing either – it just immediately stops.