YouTube May Roll Out Screenshot Blocking on Android

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Key Points of This Article

• We confirmed that code related to a screenshot permission feature was added in the Android “YouTube” app version v20.41.32.
• This suggests a potential new feature that will block screenshots and screen recordings when viewing paid content in the YouTube app for Android.
• Conversely, the v20.41.32 update lowered the API level from 32 (Android 12L) back to 28 (Android 9 Pie), restoring support for Android 9 Pie and later.

In the recently released version v20.40.41, the Android “YouTube” app ended support for Android 11 and below, updating to support Android 12L and later.

Now, hot on its heels, version v20.41.32 has been released for the Android “YouTube” app. And within its code, we’ve confirmed the addition of a line related to a screenshot permission feature.

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DETECT_SCREEN_CAPTURE"/>

The exact purpose of the screenshot permission feature added in the Android “YouTube” app v20.41.32 update is still unknown. It is predicted that this could lead to a feature that blocks screenshots and screen recordings when viewing paid YouTube content on the Android app. In other words, it is likely that this permission is being added for content protection purposes.

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YouTube「Android 12L」以降サポートに更新（v20.40.41）

Android 版「YouTube」アプリに対し、アプリバージョン v20.40.41 アップデート…

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Incidentally, while the previous version v20.40.41 of the Android “YouTube” app raised the supported API level from 28 (Android 9 Pie) to 32 (Android 12L), this new v20.41.32 update has done the opposite, lowering the API level from 32 (Android 12L) back down to 28 (Android 9 Pie). Support for Android 9 Pie and later has been restored. What was that all about?

• v20.41.32

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="32" android:targetSdkVersion="35"/>

• v20.41.32

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="28" android:targetSdkVersion="35"/>

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