How to record the screen on your iPod, iPhone, or iPad

The ability to record your iPhone’s screen is super-useful built-in functionality that Apple introduced with iOS 11. Anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running this iOS or later can quickly and easily make a recording of what’s happening on their device’s screen — with or without sound from the microphone — and just as quickly and easily save it to their Camera Roll.

Whether you’re recording your iDevice’s screen for work, fun, or to demonstrate how to do something to a technically challenged friend or family member, here’s the how to on recording your screen for iOS 14, as well as for iOS 13 and earlier.

Setting up screen recording on iOS 13, 12, and 11

As with most iOS adventures, your journey starts in your Settings app. Head there and scroll down to see “Control Center.” Tap this to open the sub-menu.

In the next screen, tap on “Customize Controls.”

Next tap Customize Controls.
Credit: SCREENSHOT: AMY-MAE TURNER

The next screen will show you two lists. The first section includes the tools and shortcuts that are currently included in your Control Center set-up; the second list is made up of tools and shortcuts you have the option to add.

If “Screen Recording” is not currently in your “Include” list, scroll down to find it in the second list and tap on the green plus sign icon to the left of it.

Credit: Screengrab: amy-mae turner

You have now added the Screen Recording tool to your iDevice’s Control Center.

Setting up screen recording on iOS 14

To set up Screen Recording on your device running iOS 14 or later, go to your Settings app and tap on the Control Center section. Then tap on “More Controls.” Tap the plus icon add button next to Screen Recording.

Credit: screengrab: amy-mae turner

Screen Recording on your iDevice

Now that you’ve ensured the Screen Recording functionality has been added to your iDevice’s Control Center, you are good to go with capturing all the action on your screen.

Open your device’s Control Center (which you access by swiping down on the right-hand side of your screen for iOS 14 users or swiping up depending on what iOS you’re running). Tap and hold the round record button.

Credit: Screengrab: amy-mae turner

This brings up a Screen Recording mini menu that gives you some extra options, including the ability to broadcast your Screen Recording to others.

Credit: screengrab: amy-mae turner

By default your microphone will be set to off, but if you want the microphone to record audio as you’re recording the screen, tap the screen to turn the microphone on. Do be aware that some apps may not allow you to record audio.

Once you hit the “Start Recording” option, everything that happens on your screen will be recorded. This includes notifications, so you may want to consider putting your device into airplane mode if you don’t want anything to pop up during your recording session.