You don’t need any extra software to capture video of your iPhone or iPad screen. The ability to record activity on your screen is built right into iOS and iPadOS, through a feature called Screen Recording. With this tool, you can start a recording of your screen and then snap individual screenshots of the video. This makes capturing your screen activity much easier than going through a third-party app. Here’s how to set up and use the built-in Screen Recording tool.
Customize Control Center
Before you can use the Screen Recording feature, you’ll first need to add it to Control Center. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Control Center and make sure the Access Within Apps option is turned on.
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Swipe down from the top to display Control Center, tap the plus (+) icon, and select the Add a Control option at the bottom. From the menu, tap the control for Screen Recording, and it will be added to the next available spot in Control Panel.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Capture Video
Now move to the screen you want recorded. Swipe down from the top right portion of the screen to open the Control Center and tap the circular Screen Recording button. You’ll then see a countdown, after which the recording will begin.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Do you also want to record audio? Maybe you’re narrating what you see as the iPhone or iPad records the screen. Long-press the record button on Control Center and tap the Microphone button that appears to turn sound on or off for your video. By default, the recordings are saved to your Photos library, but you can choose a different destination from the list that appears when you long-press the record button.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Tap Start Recording from this window to start the countdown. A red icon with a timer will appear at the top of your screen. When you’re done with the video, there’s no need to return to the Control Center. Tap the red icon at the top of the screen and choose Stop. A notification pops up to tell you that the recorded video was saved to your device.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Take Screenshots
You can also use the Screen Recording tool to take screenshots of any activity already recorded. This trick comes in handy if you’re having trouble taking screenshots of a specific activity. After recording your video, play back the footage you recorded and pause at the right moment.
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Take a screenshot on your device by pressing the appropriate keys (Side button + Volume Up button on an iPhone or iPad Pro without a Home button; On/Off button + Home button on devices with a Home button).
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
View Recordings and Screenshots
Your recordings and screen grabs will be saved to your Photos library by default. From the app, you can tap a recording and tap Play to view it. You can also scrub through the video, mute the sound, share it, or delete it.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
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About Lance Whitney
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