Note: ScreenKin currently uses the Truple app for Android monitoring. While ScreenKin is developing its own dedicated apps, the Truple app provides the underlying technology for Android devices.

Why are there black screenshots?

Black screenshots can appear for a variety of reasons.

1. The app in use utilizes the Secure Flag, provided by Android which prevents anyone (even you as the parent) from capturing a screenshot of the content. This is most commonly used by financial, health care, and enterprise apps, however it also appears when Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or other streaming services are used that want to protect their copyrighted content. The metadata (data supplied alongside each screenshot) should show the name of the app being used, and if it's a popular streaming service it will include the name of the video being played as well. This is by far the most common reason.
2. The phone screen turns black before it officially turns off. This typically occurs just for a brief moment but if the monitoring app happens to take a screenshot then, it'll be completely black.
3. The person is in a phone call, and the screen has turned black but not off.
4. The device is in an "idle" state, but failed to deliver the Screen Off message to the monitoring app.
5. There's a bug in the underlying hardware on the phone. This is quite rare and typically occurs on older and budget devices. When this occurs there are several black screenshots captured in a row. The monitoring app will attempt to alleviate this by restarting the screen capture service, but it isn't guaranteed to work. This isn't something the user (or ScreenKin) can control--it'll occur randomly and fix itself randomly. The metadata will still be provided, and you can review the apps used and websites visited during this time in your ScreenKin parent dashboard.
6. A special app is being used that draws an overlay over the screen and then uses the secure flag. These apps are designed specifically to block screenshots from being captured. The monitoring app will immediately report if any of these apps are used.

How can I further investigate black screenshots?

To investigate black screenshots further, do the following:

• Review the metadata supplied alongside the screenshot, which should include the app being used, the date & time the screenshot was taken, and potentially other information about the content being viewed. This can give valuable insight into what is being done on the phone.
• Review the events that occurred around the time the black screenshot was taken on the event timeline in your ScreenKin parent dashboard. We built the event timeline to help investigate issues like this.

Still not satisfied?

Please reach out at support@screenkin.com and we'll do our best to answer any remaining questions.