Screen recording is built into your iPhone — you turn it on through Settings, then use the Control Center to start and stop recordings
Apple added screen recording to iPhones in 2016 (iOS 11), so if your phone is newer than that, you have it. The feature captures everything on your screen — apps, websites, games, video calls — plus audio from your phone's speaker or microphone. You do not need to read anything. The recording saves to your Photos app as a video file you can edit, share, or delete.
The process has two parts: first you enable screen recording in Settings so it shows up in your Control Center, then you use Control Center to actually record. Both take less than a minute the first time.
Key Takeaways
- Screen recording is a built-in iPhone feature that captures video and audio of everything on your screen without needing any extra apps.
- You must turn on screen recording in Settings first, under Control Center, before you can use it.
- Once enabled, you start recording by opening Control Center and tapping the screen recording icon, then stop it the same way.
- Recordings save automatically to your Photos app and use storage space on your phone, so delete old ones if you run low on space.
- You can choose whether to record sound from your phone's speaker, your microphone, or no sound at all before you start.
How to enable screen recording in Settings
Open the Settings app on your home screen. Scroll down and tap Control Center. You will see a list of features you can add to Control Center, with green plus signs next to them. Find Screen Recording in the list and tap the green plus sign next to it. That is all — screen recording is now in your Control Center.
If you do not see Screen Recording in the list, your phone may be too old (anything before iOS 11, which is iPhone 5s or older). If you have a newer phone and still do not see it, restart your phone and try again. On some phones, you may need to scroll down within the Control Center settings to find it, since the list is longer than what fits on one screen.
How to start and stop a screen recording
Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen (on newer iPhones with Face ID) or swiping up from the bottom (on older iPhones with a home button). Look for the screen recording icon — it looks like a filled circle inside a larger circle. Tap it once to start recording. Your screen will flash white for three seconds as a countdown, then recording begins. A red bar appears at the top of your screen showing that recording is active.
To stop recording, tap the red bar at the top of your screen, or open Control Center again and tap the screen recording icon a second time. Your phone will ask you to confirm you want to stop. The video saves automatically to your Photos app in the Videos section. You can find it by opening Photos, tapping the Albums tab, and scrolling to Videos.
Choosing whether to record sound
Before you start recording, you can decide whether to capture audio. Open Control Center and press and hold (not tap) the screen recording icon. A menu appears with two options: Microphone Audio and the current audio setting. If Microphone Audio is off (gray), your recording will capture sound from your phone's speaker — what you hear coming from apps, videos, or calls. If you turn Microphone Audio on (green), your recording will capture your voice instead, useful if you are narrating or recording a video call where you want your side of the conversation.
If you want no sound at all, make sure Microphone Audio is off and your phone is on silent (flip the mute switch on the side of your phone). Then start recording. The video will have no audio track. You can always adjust the volume or mute the audio later when you edit the video in your Photos app.
What uses storage space and when to delete recordings
Screen recordings are video files, and video takes up a lot of space. A one-minute recording at standard quality uses roughly 40 to 80 megabytes. If you record for 10 minutes, that is 400 to 800 megabytes — enough to noticeably slow down an older phone or fill up storage if you record often. Longer recordings use proportionally more space.
If you are running low on storage, delete old recordings from your Photos app. Open Photos, find the video you want to delete, tap it, then tap the trash icon. The video moves to Recently Deleted, where it stays for 30 days before being permanently removed. If you want to keep a recording but save space, you can also share it to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) or email it to yourself, then delete the phone copy.
Why screen recording might not work
If you tap the screen recording icon and nothing happens, check three things. First, make sure you actually enabled it in Settings — go back to Settings > Control Center and confirm the green plus sign is there. Second, some apps block screen recording for copyright reasons (Netflix, Disney+, some banking apps). If you are trying to record one of these, the recording will start but the app's video or sensitive content will appear as a black screen. Third, if your phone is very low on storage (less than 100 megabytes free), recording may not start — delete some photos or videos and try again.
If you have tried all three and screen recording still will not work, restart your phone completely. Turn it off, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on. This fixes most software glitches that prevent Control Center features from working.
Editing and sharing your recording
Once your recording is in Photos, you can edit it before sharing. Open the video, tap Edit, then use the trim tool to cut out the beginning or end. You can also adjust the volume slider if the audio is too loud or too quiet. Tap Done to save your changes.
To share, tap the share icon (a box with an arrow) and choose where to send it: Messages, Mail, AirDrop to another Apple device, or cloud services like Google Drive. You can also post it directly to social media if you have those apps installed. The file format is MP4, which plays on any device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record a FaceTime call with screen recording?
Yes. Open the FaceTime call, open Control Center, and tap screen recording. The other person will see a notification that you are recording. The video captures both your face and theirs, plus audio from both sides of the call. Check your local laws — some places require both people to consent to being recorded.
Does screen recording drain my battery faster?
Yes, noticeably. Recording uses your processor and camera hardware continuously, which drains battery 15 to 25 percent faster than normal use. If you are recording for more than a few minutes, plug your phone in or have a charger nearby.
Can I record my screen while using another app?
Yes. Start screen recording, then open any app you want. The recording captures everything, including switching between apps. This is useful for making tutorials or showing someone how to use a feature.
What happens if I get a call or notification while recording?
The recording keeps going. Incoming calls, texts, and notifications will appear on your screen and be captured in the video. If you answer a call, the recording continues but only captures your side of the conversation (the other person's voice comes through your speaker).
Can I record just part of my screen, not the whole thing?
No. The built-in screen recording captures your entire display. If you need to record only a portion, you would need a third-party app from the App Store, though most of those require a paid subscription.