Playing Paid Courses in WeChat Mini Programs: How to Prevent Phone Screen Recording?

Feature Preview: The ability to enable screen recording protection by default for encrypted videos will be launched soon. The specific launch date, supported versions, and terminal compatibility scope will be based on the official release notes of the VOD Mini Program Plugin.

In scenarios such as knowledge payment and online education, after courses are delivered via WeChat Mini Programs, content providers often worry about learners using their phones to record the screen and then distributing the courses on other platforms.

The POLYV VOD Mini Program Plugin will provide screen recording protection for encrypted videos: When using a plugin version that supports this feature, and playing encrypted videos in compatible phone systems and WeChat environments, the plugin will automatically enable protection, hiding the protected content in the screen recording, thereby reducing the risk of course recording and distribution.

1. How to Use Screen Recording Protection?

After the feature is launched, using it requires meeting the following conditions:

1. The Mini Program integrates the POLYV VOD Mini Program Plugin and upgrades to a version that supports screen recording protection.
2. The video being played is a POLYV encrypted video.
3. The learner's phone system and WeChat version support the corresponding screen protection capabilities.

Once the conditions are met, encrypted videos will have protection enabled by default, without needing to add an extra switch or integration parameters for anti-screen-recording. The original authorization configuration required for playing encrypted videos must still be properly maintained.

For details on plugin integration and upgrade methods, please refer to the VOD Mini Program Plugin Integration Documentation.

2. What Happens When a Learner Starts Phone Screen Recording?

In supported environments, when playing an encrypted video, the plugin will set up screen protection, causing the protected content in the screen recording result to be hidden.

The "anti-screen-recording" here refers to protecting the recorded screen content, not disabling the phone's system screen recording function. Therefore, learners may still be able to start screen recording or generate screen recording files. You should not judge whether the protection has failed solely based on "the phone can still start screen recording"; instead, check whether the recording result contains the course video content.

3. Will Regular Videos Also Be Automatically Protected Against Screen Recording?

No. This feature is only automatically enabled for encrypted videos. Regular videos will retain their original playback behavior.

Charging for a course does not mean the video is encrypted. Even if learners need to pay or log in to watch, you should confirm that the course's corresponding video uses POLYV's video encryption capabilities.

4. Will It Work on All Phones?

The effectiveness of screen recording protection depends on the phone system, WeChat version, and their provided screen protection capabilities. It cannot be guaranteed that all terminals will exhibit the same behavior.

For older systems, older WeChat versions, or environments that do not support the corresponding capabilities, protection of the screen recording content cannot be guaranteed. It is recommended to conduct actual verification using the learners' common phone models and WeChat versions before the course goes live.

There are also differences between iOS screen recording protection and screenshot restrictions. Screen recording protection should not be understood as simultaneously disabling screenshots.

5. Can It Also Prevent Audio Recording and Filming with Other Devices?

This feature targets screen recording content. It does not guarantee blocking audio recording, nor can it prevent someone from using another phone or camera to film the screen.

For knowledge payment and online education courses, it is recommended to combine measures such as video encryption and viewing permission controls to protect content. Screen recording protection can mitigate one risk of content leakage but cannot replace a complete course copyright protection solution.

6. How to Check if the Protection is Effective?

After upgrading to a plugin version that supports this feature, before officially delivering the course, you can use the actual Mini Program and encrypted video for verification:

1. Start recording first, then enter the course: Start phone screen recording before entering the playback page, then check the recording result.
2. Start recording during playback: Initiate screen recording while the course is playing, and check if the course content is captured.
3. Switch playback states: Check the screen recording performance after switching to fullscreen, or rotating between landscape and portrait modes. If your business uses a floating window or picture-in-picture, verify those scenarios separately as well.

If the course content is still captured in the recording, first confirm the plugin version, video encryption status, phone system, and WeChat version. When contacting technical support, provide the above information along with the video VID to help identify the specific compatibility situation.