Does iMessage Give Notifications When You Save a Photo?

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An easy-to-use guide to save photos and chats in iMessage without notifying others

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: February 18, 2023 Tested

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Will iMessage notify others if I save a photo?

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Saving Pictures or Videos

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Turning off Read Receipts

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Disabling the Shared With You Feature

Are you worried about notifying others when saving pictures, videos, or text on iMessage? Don't worry—your iPhone or iPad will not notify anyone if you save a photo or other attachment from a message. You can even take a screenshot of the conversation without worrying about notifications. Recipients will only see that their message has been delivered. If you have read receipts on, they'll also see the time you read their message, but not that you saved a photo. This wikiHow will show you how to save photos and videos and turn off read receipts on your iPhone or iPad.

Things You Should Know

Saving a photo, video, or other attachment in iMessage will not notify others.
If you have read receipts on, recipients can see when you've read their message.
To save a picture without anyone knowing, tap the download icon to the right of the message.

Section 1 of 4:

Will iMessage notify others if I save a photo?

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No—other Messages (iMessage) users won't be notified. Unlike Snapchat, which notifies others, you'll be able to save iMessages photos, videos, attachments, and texts without needing to worry about anyone else getting a notification. At the same time, you won't be notified if the recipient saves one of your attachments or chats.
- If you have read receipts enabled, the other person will only know that you saw their message. You can disable read receipts at any time.
- If you want to save a conversation, you can take a screenshot.

Section 2 of 4:

Saving Pictures or Videos

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1
Open the Messages app. This looks like a white speech bubble with a green background.^{[1]
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- Make sure to update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version.
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Navigate to a conversation. You'll a list of your messages from most recent to least recent.
- If you have pinned messages, they'll appear at the top.
If you want to save a recent picture or video, you can scroll up in the chat window.
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Click the download icon. This will be to the right of the picture in the chat window.
- After clicking the icon, the picture or video will begin downloading to your device. You'll see a checkmark when it's finished, and the download icon will disappear.
The picture you saved will be in the Recents album, at the very bottom.
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Save a non-recent photo (optional). If you want to save a photo sent in the past, tap the contact name in the chat window. A new window will open.
- Tap See All underneath the Photos header.
- Tap the photo you want to save.
- Tap the Share icon in the bottom-left corner. A pop-up menu will open.
- Tap Save Image or Save Video. Your picture or video will be saved to the Recents album in the Photos app.
- If needed, you can also access Messages on iCloud to find synced messages.

Section 3 of 4:

Turning off Read Receipts

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1
Open the Settings app. This looks like a grey cog icon.
- Use this method to disable read receipts on the Messages app. Recipients will only see that their messages have been delivered.
You'll need to scroll down to find this.
The switch will turn grey.

Section 4 of 4:

Disabling the Shared With You Feature

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1
Open the Settings app. This looks like a grey cog icon.
- Use this method to disable the "Shared with You" feature that shows you photos from Messages in your Photos app.
You'll need to scroll down to find this.
The switch will turn grey.