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How to take a screenshot that isn’t allowed by the app

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Writer, Smart Home

For years technology has been a big part of Gardy's life. He's an Android guy with a secret love for Apple products. When not at work, you can usually catch him drawing with a pencil. He is a writer at Gotechtor covering streaming media, TVs, and everything smart-home related. 

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Have you tried to take a screenshot on your Android phone but the app would not let you? Then you noticed an icon in the notification bar with this alert: “Taking screenshots isn’t allowed by the app or your organization.”

A number of apps, especially banking apps, don’t allow users to take screenshots because of privacy and security purposes.

But there’s a workaround for the screenshot prohibitions in apps. In this guide, you’ll learn how to take a screenshot that is not allowed by the app.

Check this out: How to Fix “android.process.acore has stopped” Error

Taking screenshots on restricted apps using Google Assistant

With the help of Google Assistant, you can remove the screenshot restrictions without having to root your Android phone. You can do that by saying or typing out a simple command. Follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1. Press and hold down the Home button, or squeeze your phone, or just say “Hey Google” to launch the Google Assistant.

Step 2. Tap the Compass icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Launching Google Assistant from a Google Pixel 3
Launching Google Assistant from a Google Pixel 3. Screenshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

Step 3. It will take you to the Explore page. Tap on your profile icon at the top right corner of the screen.

Google Assistant Explorer Page
Google Assistant Explorer Page. Screenshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

Step 4. Tap Settings from the dropdown menu.

Google Assistant Settings menu
Google Assistant settings menu. Screeshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

Step 5. The following steps may be different depending on your Android version. 

On the Settings page, scroll down and look for “General”. It should be under the All Settings section. Then, toggle on the “Use screen context” option.

Google Assistnat general settings
Google Assistant general settings. Screenshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

For older Android versions, tap on the “Assistant tab“, then select “Phone” under the Assistant devices section. Then turn on the “Use screen context” option under the General tab.

Google Assistant screen context settings
Google Assistant screen context settings. Screenshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

Now that you know how to make Google Assistant take screenshots for you. Let’s try it out.

  1. Open the app with screenshot restrictions and launch the Google Assistant.
  2. Next, tap on “What’s on my screen
  3. Then, tap “Share screenshot“. You can choose from the options in the sharing panel. Remember, Google Assistant will not save the screenshot by default. If you don’t choose to save the screenshot, it will get discarded. 
Taking a screenshot with Google Assistant on Android
Taking a screenshot with Google Assistant on Android. Screenshot: Gardy Philogene/Gotechtor

Taking screenshots on restricted apps using third-party Apps

If you have problems taking the screenshot with Google Assistant, these third-party apps will let you bypass the screenshot restrictions. The good news about these apps is you don’t have to root your Android phone in order for them to work.

Go ahead and download one of the following apps: AZ Screen Recorder, Screen Master, Screenshot touch.

There are no learning curves with these apps. Just follow the on-screen instructions and you should be good to go. They let you capture screenshots, and record videos from your screen. Some of them have ads, which can be removed when you buy the pro version.

Using another phone to take a picture of your screen

This is probably the easiest method to take a screenshot on restricted apps as long as you have a spare phone lying around. Just take a picture of the screen that you want to screenshot. Remember to delete the photo from the other phone to protect any sensitive data from prying eyes.

Wrapping Up

As you can see there are different methods to take a screenshot in restricted apps on your Android phone. All methods don’t require root, which makes it simple and easy to grab a screenshot.

If you have any questions or concerns, please use the comment section below.

Writer, Smart Home

For years technology has been a big part of Gardy's life. He's an Android guy with a secret love for Apple products. When not at work, you can usually catch him drawing with a pencil. He is a writer at Gotechtor covering streaming media, TVs, and everything smart-home related. 

Gardy Philogene

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