Screen recording on your iPhone is more than just a neat social media party trick. It's also a practical skill to learn: whether you want to create a tutorial for a loved one, capture a movie scene from YouTube, record a video game sequence, or create a video for TikTok or Instagram, you'll need to know how to record your iPhone screen.
Screen recording your iPhone is as simple as swiping up to open your controls and selecting the Screen Recording app. However, there's some prep you'll need to do if you want to include audio with your recording.
Let's dive into how to record your iPhone screen, edit videos, and share them with friends and family.
Recording Your iPhone Screen
Screen recording on an iPhone will differ slightly based on whether you just want a video of your screen, or if you also want to capture audio along with video.
How to screen record on an iPhone without audio
To do a basic soundless screen recording on an iPhone:
- Select “Settings” on your home screen.
- Then scroll down and choose “Control Center.”
- Press the green plus sign next to “Screen Recording” to add it to your included controls, which gives you the capability to screen record.
- If you have the iPhone X or later, swipe from the top right corner down to access your Control Center and click the gray “Record” button at the bottom of the screen.
- If you have the iPhone 8, SE, or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then click the “Record” button.
- There will be a three-second countdown before screen recording your iPhone.
- Exit the Control Center and begin your recording.
- Return to the Control Center and press the red “Record” button to end your recording.
How to screen record on an iPhone with audio
If you want to record audio, such as yourself talking or any voices/music that happening on your screen, while recording your iPhone screen, do the following before you start recording:
- Press and hold the “Record” button for several seconds.
- A screen that says “Screen Recording” should pop up with a list of apps beneath it.
- Below that pop-up screen, you’ll see a microphone symbol that says “Microphone Off.”
- Click on the microphone symbol to turn on audio recording capabilities.
- Now, you may begin to record your iPhone screen.
- If you want to turn off audio, hold down the “Record” button again and click the Microphone button again to disable it.
Where can I find the videos I screen-recorded on my iPhone?
The videos you screen record on your iPhone are saved in your Photos app, which is the same as any other videos or pictures you take. You can find them under the main album, as well as in your Video folder.
Edit a Screen Recording on an iPhone
Once you capture a screen recording on your iPhone, you may want to edit it to cut off the beginning or end or add filters. You can do this by opening your Camera Roll and selecting your screen recording. Click "Edit" in the upper right-hand corner. From there, you can access your iPhone video editing tool, which enables you to:
- Trim the video
- Play around with the video filters
- Crop the video screen
Once you’re satisfied with your edited video, click “Done” then “Save as New Clip” so that you don’t lose the original version
Reasons to Record Your iPhone Screen
Some reasons you may want to screen record on your iPhone include:
- Capturing a clip from a funny YouTube video for a friend so that they don’t have to watch the entire thing
- Recording yourself playing a video game to share with fellow gamers
- Capture a short scene from a film or TV show that you’re watching on your phone
- Create a tutorial to remotely teach someone how to use their iPhone
- Capture a bug on your device to send to support services
No matter your needs, screen recording on an iPhone is quick and easy. Even if you’ve never done it, you’ll be creating videos in no time. If you find yourself ready for an upgrade of your iPhone, check out our updated list of the best iPhone deals in Canada or take a look at prices for the new iPhone 14 below.
Screen Recording on an iPhone: FAQs
How do I send screen recordings to people?
You send your screen-recorded video the same way you would send any other video or picture. Select it, press the arrow on the bottom left of the screen, then choose to who you’d like to send your screen recording. It will take you to your messaging screen with them, where you will press the blue arrow on the right-hand side of the screen.
How is a screen recording different than a screenshot?
A screenshot takes a photo of whatever page you are currently viewing on your iPhone. You may want to do this to save information for later, store text messages, or remind yourself to read or purchase something later, especially if you’re on the go.
On the other hand, a screen recording is not a picture—it’s a video. It records a video of whatever you are currently viewing on your iPhone, whether that’s a webpage, app, another video, text conversation, and beyond.
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