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

In scenarios such as knowledge payment and online education, after courses are delivered via WeChat Mini Programs, content providers often worry about users recording the screen with their phones and redistributing the courses on other platforms.

The Polyv VOD Mini Program Plugin provides screen recording protection for encrypted videos: When using a plugin version that supports this feature, in compatible phone systems and WeChat environments, the plugin automatically enables protection, hiding the protected content in screen recordings, thereby reducing the risk of course recording and redistribution.

1. How to Use Screen Recording Protection?

To use this feature, the following conditions must be met:

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 user's phone system and WeChat version support the corresponding screen protection capabilities.

Once conditions are met, encrypted videos have protection enabled by default, with no need to add additional switches or parameters for anti-recording. The original authorization configuration required for playing encrypted videos must still be properly retained.

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

2. What Happens When a User Starts Screen Recording?

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

Here, "anti-recording" refers to protecting the recorded screen content, not disabling the phone's system screen recording function. Therefore, users may still initiate screen recording or generate recording files. It is not sufficient to judge whether protection has failed solely based on "the phone can still start recording"; instead, check whether the recording result contains course content.

3. Are Regular Videos Also Automatically Protected?

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

Charging for a course does not mean the video is encrypted. Even if users need to pay or log in to watch, ensure that the corresponding video has been encrypted using Polyv's video encryption capabilities.

4. Does 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 guarantee consistent performance across all devices.

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

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

5. Can It Also Prevent Audio Recording or Filming with Another Device?

This feature targets screen recording content and does not promise to block audio recording, nor can it prevent filming the screen with another phone or camera.

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

6. How to Check if Protection Is Effective?

After upgrading to a plugin version that supports this feature, before officially delivering the course, verify using the actual Mini Program and encrypted video:

1. Record the screen first, then enter the course: Start 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 whether the course content is captured.
3. Switch playback states: Check screen recording performance after switching to full screen, landscape/portrait mode; if the business uses floating windows or picture-in-picture, verify separately.

If course content can still be recorded, 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 facilitate locating specific compatibility issues.