How Bluesky draws its logo on screenshots
A developer investigates how the Bluesky app dynamically inserts its logo into screenshots by exploiting iOS privacy features. The app uses a secure text entry field that masks content during screenshot capture, allowing the logo to appear only in the resulting image.
Why it matters
It demonstrates a clever, albeit unconventional, use of mobile operating system APIs to manipulate UI elements for branding purposes.
Sometimes I take a screenshot of a post I like, either to send it to friends/meme channel or to save a “durable” copy. Like this one (I’ve cropped out the rest of the interface):
I noticed the Bluesky logo in the right corner and thought that it was weird that the logo doesn’t bother me when I use the app. Then I looked at the post in the app again—logo wasn’t there, replaced by the “Follow” button.
I remembered that a few apps hide their logo where the iPhone notch is, so that it doesn’t stick out, unless you take a screenshot. But here the logo is placed in the open, so how do they do it?
I tried to take another screenshot, this time mid-switching to the other app:
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