Sometimes, you simply have to show somebody what’s happening on your smartphone’s display. Whether it’s a spicy piece of gossibpthat needs to be discussed in a group chat or a strange bug that needs reporting to IT, capturing a quick video is a convenient and easy way of quickly sharing the contents of your screen. It lets you show much more than simply taking screenshots, and even allows you toattach sound to the message to make it a complete picture.
For a while,Androidwas notorious for lacking a way to record a video of what’s going on right on your device. Sure, there were some third-party apps that could do that, but the system lacked built-in, first-party tools to do that. Fortunately, things have changed massively since then, and withAndroid 11, Google built this feature right into the system itself. You can now easily capture a video of your display on every Android phone, without the need for any additional software. Here’s how to do it:
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How to screen record on Android?
You’re always just a few taps away
As I mentioned, every Android phone released in the last few years comes with a screen recorder already pre-installed as a native part of the operating system. That means you don’t need to download any suspicious third-party apps to be able to record a video of your desktop, making the process easy and more secure.
In general, recording is extremely easy and requires just a few clicks. Note, though, that the specifics of the process will vary between devices and brands, but the steps in general will be very similar regardless of whether you’re using a Samsung Galaxy, a Google Pixel, or any other device running Android. Here’s what you need to look out for if you want to record a clip of your screen.
The quick settings tile
Android’s screen recorder feature exists as its own tile in the quick settings panel of the notification shade. If you don’t already have it in your active drawer, you may need to tap on theedit button, thepencil icon, or long-press the gear icon to pull up the full tiles listing. Look for theScreen recordertile, thenlong-press and drag itup into your active drawer so that you can use the feature. Once it’s there, you’re ready to record your screen.
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How to start screen recording on Android?
Recording your screen on Android is extremely convenient and easy. In general, the process will be very similar on every Android phone, but some settings you may adjust on the fly might differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. In our case, we’ll be showing you the process using a Google Pixel, but the basic steps will be the same no matter the brand of your phone.
Where will I find my recordings?
As I’ve mentioned, right after making a recording, it’s really easy to access it by simply tapping on the notification. However, if you want to return to that recording later, you might be wondering where they are stored. Fortunately, getting to them is quick and simple, and you shouldn’t have any problems retrieving your screen captures. Here’s where to find them:
If you cannot see a folder named Screen recorder, you can also simply browse all videos in this tab – your screen recordings are sure to be there.
A note on what you can (and should) record
Android has a set of restrictions that your system or an application can utilize to prevent content from being captured in a screen recording. This can include DRM-protected video, passwords or authentication codes in a manager app, and other personally identifiable or protected data. Your screen recorder won’t stop recording when it comes across these situations – the screen will just be blacked out. You should, however, be mindful of any sensitive information you may have on recordable surfaces, including your communication apps and places like your calendar.
How to record your gameplay on your Android phone
If you’re an avid mobile gamer, you might also want to record footage of your gameplay while using your phone, or you might simply need some Subway Surfers footage to put in your TikToks. Whatever the case,Google Play Gamesallows you to record what you do in some games. This feature won’t work with everything, but if Google Play Games pops up your player rank upon booting up a game, you should be able to use the feature. Here’s what you need to do:
Once you’re done, you may then save and share the recording or edit it and upload it to your favorite social media platform.
Should you screen record with a third-party app instead?
Generally, there’s a clear winner
Generally, if you have a first-party solution available, it’s probably better to stick to it rather than rely on an outside developer. you’re able to be sure that it’s safe and secure, which is even more important when it comes to contents as sensitive as recordings of your display. Third-party apps, on the other hand, can be more prone to data leaks or malicious developers, making native applications a better choice.
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That being said, if you have an older Android device without screen recording baked in, or you need a specific setting that your native app does not support, you can still rely on third-party apps from the Google Play Store. Of course, before giving them access to your screen content, it’s worth checking out the reviews to make sure that nothing malicious is going on behind the scenes. Some safe choices include apps likeAZ Recorder,Mobizen Screen Recorder, andSuper Screen Recorder. They offer many of the same settings as Android’s screen recorder, but you may need to deal with ads or a paywall to access more advanced features.
Screen record from your computer with SCRCPY
Short for “screen copy,“SCRCPYis an open-source tool for Linux, macOS, and Windows that not only mirrors the contents of your Android device’s screen to your computer but also lets you interact with the device, too. And, of course, you can record the screen and save a clip right on your desktop or laptop machine. It does take a little bit of geeky know-how to set things up, but it shouldn’t be much hassle to use on an ongoing basis, and you’ll be able to take advantage of a more versatile tool in SCRCPY.
If you don’t have ADB set up and ready to go, we recommend following some helpful guides from our sister sites,Android PoliceandXDA-Developers. Once that’s up and running, and you’ve got your Android and desktop devices connected,download SCRCPY for your OS from GitHub. You should see your Android device’s screen on your monitor when you run the program. Your mouse and keyboard should be able to interact with it, too. All you need to do is issue record commands as detailed inSCRCPY’s documentation. With this method, you may record MP4 and MKV files right on your computer.
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