[android] How to prevent Screen Capture in Android

Is it possible to prevent the screen recording in Android Application?

I would like to develop an Android Secure Application. In that I need to detect screen recording software which are running background and kill them. I have used SECURE FLAG for prevent screenshots. But I dont know is it possible to prevent Video capturing of Android Screen also. Let me know how to prevent screen capturing (video / screenshots).

Try this:

getWindow().setFlags(LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);

According to this official guide, you can add WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE to your window layout and it will disallow screenshots.

I saw all of the answers which are appropriate only for a single activity but there is my solution which will block screenshot for all of the activities without adding any code to the activity. First of all make an Custom Application class and add a registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks.Then register it in your manifest.

MyApplicationContext.class

public class MyApplicationContext extends Application {
    private  Context context;
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
        context = getApplicationContext();
        setupActivityListener();
    }

    private void setupActivityListener() {
        registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks(new ActivityLifecycleCallbacks() {
            @Override
            public void onActivityCreated(Activity activity, Bundle savedInstanceState) {
                activity.getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);            }
            @Override
            public void onActivityStarted(Activity activity) {
            }
            @Override
            public void onActivityResumed(Activity activity) {

            }
            @Override
            public void onActivityPaused(Activity activity) {

            }
            @Override
            public void onActivityStopped(Activity activity) {
            }
            @Override
            public void onActivitySaveInstanceState(Activity activity, Bundle outState) {
            }
            @Override
            public void onActivityDestroyed(Activity activity) {
            }
        });
    }



}

Manifest

 <application
        android:name=".MyApplicationContext"
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
        android:supportsRtl="true"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme">

For Java users write this line above your setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);

For kotlin users

window.setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE)

To disable Screen Capture:

Add following line of code in onCreate() method:

getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE,
                           WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);

To enable Screen Capture:

Find for LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE and remove the line of code.

about photo screenshot, FLAG_SECURE not working rooted device.

but if you monitor the screenshot file, you can prevent from getting original file.

try this one.

1. monitoring screenshot(file monitor) with android remote service
2. delete original screenshot image.
3. deliver the bitmap instance so you can modify.

Just add this line:

getWindow().setFlags(LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);

Before your setContentView() method.

I used this solution to allow manual snapshot in app while disallowing screen capture when the app goes in background, hope it helps.

@Override
protected void onResume() {
    getWindow().clearFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);
    super.onResume();
}

@Override
protected void onPause() {
    getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);
    super.onPause();
}

Ad this line inside the OnCreate event on MainActivity (Xamarin)

Window.SetFlags(WindowManagerFlags.Secure, WindowManagerFlags.Secure);

You can make your app as device/profile owner and call setScreenCaptureDisabled(). From the docs, this api does the following:

public void setScreenCaptureDisabled (ComponentName admin, boolean disabled) Added in API level 21

Called by a device/profile owner to set whether the screen capture is disabled. Disabling screen capture also prevents the content from being shown on display devices that do not have a secure video output. See FLAG_SECURE for more details about secure surfaces and secure displays.

The calling device admin must be a device or profile owner. If it is not, a security exception will be thrown. Parameters admin Which DeviceAdminReceiver this request is associated with. disabled Whether screen capture is disabled or not.

Alternatively you can become an MDM(Mobile Device Management) partner app.OEMs provides additional APIs to their MDM partner apps to control the device.For example samsung provides api to control screen recording on the device to their MDM partners.

Currently this is the only way you can enforce screen capture restrictions.

public class InShotApp extends Application {
    
        @Override
        public void onCreate() {
            super.onCreate();
            registerActivityLifecycle();
        }
    
        private void registerActivityLifecycle() {
    
            registerActivityLifecycleCallbacks(new ActivityLifecycleCallbacks() {
                @Override
                public void onActivityCreated(@NonNull Activity activity, @Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
                    activity.getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);            }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivityStarted(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    
                }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivityResumed(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    
                }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivityPaused(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    
                }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivityStopped(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    
                }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivitySaveInstanceState(@NonNull Activity activity, @NonNull Bundle outState) {
    
                }
    
                @Override
                public void onActivityDestroyed(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    
                }
            });
    
        }
    }