iOS comes with a handy new Control Center function that allows you to record what you're doing on your screen. It's great if you want to capture gameplay, walk someone through a tutorial in an app, demonstrate a bug, and more, and it's available on both iPhones and iPads.


Enabling Screen Recording Button

If you don't have the screen recording icon in Control Center, you can add it in the Settings app.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Control Center.
  3. Select "Customize Controls." ios11enablingscreenrecording
  4. Tap the + button next to "Screen Recording" to add it to the "Include" section.

How to Record Your Screen

  1. Bring up the Control Center.
  2. Tap the icon for screen recording. It's two nested circles. ios11screenrecording
  3. Your iPhone or iPad will start recording video of your screen automatically following a three second countdown.

While screen recording is turned on, a red bar is plastered across the top of the display so it's clear when you're recording and when you're not.

ios11screenrecordingredbanner

Ending a Recording

To stop recording the screen, you can go back to Control Center and toggle the screen recording icon, or your can tap the red bar at the top of the screen and confirm you want to end the recording. The video you made is then saved to the Photos app.

screenrecordingsavedios11

Screen Recording Options

There are a few options that are available when making a screen recording, which can be accessed directly in the Control Center. To bring up these options, simply 3D Touch on the screen recording icon.

ios11screenrecording3dtouch
From this menu, you can start a screen recording and toggle microphone audio on or off. These are the only options that are available for the feature -- it's fairly basic.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

rob.james.arias Avatar
94 months ago
Aka “How to record those Snaps”
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trusso Avatar
94 months ago
I get that exact same option on my iPhone 6+ by just tapping and holding on the screen recording icon.

Really haven't felt I've been missing out on anything over the past several years by not having 3D touch on my iPhone.
You're not. I upgraded to a 6S last year for the larger internal storage, and I've forgotten 3D touch was even a thing. I never use it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
93 months ago
Starting a Recording
[LIST=1]
* Bring up the Control Center.
* Tap the icon for screen recording. It's two nested circles.

Dear UI vetters at Apple (if you even exist any more):

Please add labels to all your icons, so that people who don't memorize them, and/or older people like my Mom, can figure out what the heck each icon does.

Thank you. Oh, and don't let Ive design any part of an UI any more, please.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
94 months ago
Accessing Screen Recording Options

There are a few options that are available when making a screen recording, which can be accessed directly in the Control Center. To bring up these options, simply 3D Touch on the screen recording icon.



From this menu, you can start a screen recording and toggle microphone audio on or off. These are the only options that are available for the feature -- it's fairly basic.
I get that exact same option on my iPhone 6+ by just tapping and holding on the screen recording icon.

Really haven't felt I've been missing out on anything over the past several years by not having 3D touch on my iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glassed Silver Avatar
94 months ago
I get that exact same option on my iPhone 6+ by just tapping and holding on the screen recording icon.

Really haven't felt I've been missing out on anything over the past several years by not having 3D touch on my iPhone.
Contextual previews (linked webpages or maps for example) are a Godsent.

I used to be pretty indifferent about them, thinking it might be a cool feature, but ever since I got my 6S Plus I can honestly say it made iOS a lot more convenient to me.

My iPad Air feels outright awkward without it.

Glassed Silver:win
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aircanman Avatar
94 months ago
I’d like to see an option where it highlights where on the screen you press. This would make it easier for creating tutorial videos.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...