Screen Recording lets you create a video of what is happening on your iPhone display. It is useful for demonstrations, troubleshooting, saving an on-screen process, or showing someone how to use an app.
Add Screen Recording to Control Center if needed
Open Control Center and look for the Screen Recording control, which uses a circle-within-a-circle symbol. If it is not available, edit Control Center and add Screen Recording. The exact customization interface can vary with the iOS version.
Record the iPhone screen
- Open Control Center.
- Tap the Screen Recording button.
- Wait for the short countdown.
- Leave Control Center and use the iPhone normally while the recording runs.
- When you are finished, tap the red recording indicator and stop the recording, or return to Control Center and tap Screen Recording again.
The finished video is normally saved in Photos, where you can play it, trim it, or share it.
Record your microphone too
If you want narration or room audio, press and hold the Screen Recording control before starting. Turn the microphone on, then begin recording.
Microphone audio is different from the sound generated by an app. Some apps allow their audio to be captured, while others restrict recording because of copyright, privacy, or security rules.
Why part of the screen may not record
Protected video, some streaming services, sensitive account screens, and certain apps can prevent or limit screen capture. A black area in a recording does not necessarily mean Screen Recording is broken.
Notifications can also appear while you record. Consider enabling a Focus mode before starting if you do not want message previews or other private alerts in the finished video.
Open the recording in Photos and tap Edit to trim unwanted time from the beginning or end. Save the edited version when you are satisfied. For an important tutorial, watch the full recording before sharing it so you can catch accidental notifications, passwords, email addresses, or other private information.
Screen recording and private information
A screen recording can capture more than the action you intended to demonstrate. Before recording, close private tabs and documents and consider turning on a Focus mode so message previews do not appear. If you type a password or expose an account number, trim that part out or make a new recording rather than sharing the original.
Why there may be no sound
If you expected your voice, make sure the microphone was enabled from the expanded Screen Recording control before you started. If you expected audio from an app, the app itself may block capture. Test a short sample first when sound is important so you do not record a long tutorial only to discover that the audio is missing.
Matthew Roberts created this site to help his friends and family with questions that they might have about how to change the settings on their iPhones. It now serves as an archive of iPhone how-to guides to help anyone that stumbles upon this website.