iOS 11 Feature Focus: Screen Recording

In iOS 11, Apple is formally supporting on-device screen recordings for the first time. Here’s how it works.

Note: Apple also improved how screenshots work in iOS 11. Please refer to iOS 11 Feature Focus: Screenshots for more info.

The biggest trick is even finding this feature, as it’s hidden: You have to customize the new Control Center first. To do so, navigate to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Then, add Screen Recording to the controls that appear in Control Center. And, optionally, position it where you want it.

Now, when you open the Control Center—by swiping up from the bottom of the display—you’ll see a new Screen Recording button.

You can optionally add microphone audio to the recording. To do so, tap and hold on the Screen Recording button to display additional options. Tap “Microphone Audio” to toggle that option.

To begin a screen recording, tap the Screen Recording button in Control Center. A three-second timer will begin—it’s indicated in the Screen Recording button—and then the actual recording will begin.

While the screen is being recorded, the iOS status bar will display as red as a reminder.

Note: The red status bar is not included in the recording.

When you’re ready to stop the recording, tap the status bar. (You may have to leave a game, in particular, to see the status bar.) You’ll be prompted about whether you’d like to stop the recording.

(You can also stop the recording by opening Control Center and tapping the Screen Recording button again.)

Your screen recordings are stored in your Camera roll. So you can access them later on the device, or you can copy your recordings to your PC so that you can edit and share them from there.

To view a recording on your device, open the Photos app (or access the Camera roll from the Camera app) and find the recording. You’ll see a prominent Play button in the center of the recording thumbnail.

To edit a recording on the device, tap Edit. (You’re pretty much limited to cropping the beginning and end of the video.)

Sharing works as it does with any other content: just tap the Share button and choose how you’d like to share.