How to screen record on your Android phone or tablet

The Android 11 update brought a screen recording feature to your notification panel in September 2020. With it, you can capture and share your phone’s content as a video without third-party apps. It’s useful for reporting a bug to developers, guiding people with demonstrations or tutorials, or announcing achievements.

Recent Android tablets and smartphone models have the feature. However, your manufacturer may not provide it, or it may not be supported in your region. If you don’t see it, you only have the option to take screenshots on your device. It may be hidden, and you can edit the panel to add the button if it’s available. Here’s how to record your Android screen and share it with people.

How to use the screen recorder feature on Android

Using the screen recorder on Android is a straightforward process. You’ll come across options to record content with or without sound and show when you touch the screen. This indicator helps viewers understand the UI elements you interact with on the device.

When you’re ready to capture your screen as a video, follow these steps:

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen with two fingers to expand the Quick Settings panel. Using one finger only expands your notifications.
2. Tap Screen recorder.
3. Choose whether to record with sound and use gesture indicators. Then tap Start or Start recording.

   

   

4. To end the recording, swipe down with one finger. Tap the notification with a Stop button. The video is saved to your gallery app.
5. If you don’t see the Screen recorder button in Quick Settings, it may be hidden. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the panel. Then select Edit buttons.

   

6. On Pixel phones, tap the pen icon in the lower-left corner. Then tap Edit.
7. Drag the Screen recorder button to Quick Settings to add it. If you don’t see the recorder button, your manufacturer doesn’t provide it.

How to record your Android screen with third-party apps

Google Play Games provides a screen recording feature, but it’s limited to gameplay within the app. If you use a device with a custom Android version, you may find similar apps preinstalled. For example, Samsung has a screen recorder inside the Game Launcher app.

Use external party apps from the Google Play Store to record your screen beyond gameplay. It’s the ideal solution if your device model doesn’t have the feature or you want robust recording options. Most apps are free but may contain annoying ads and require a small fee to make them go away. On the bright side, they’re lightweight, and some combine screen recording, image-capturing, and editing abilities.

AZ Recorder is among the best third-party apps because of its user-friendly interface. It offers different resolution options to balance file size and video clarity. It has watermarks, although you can watch an ad to remove them for each recording you make. Here’s how to use the app for screen recording on Android:

1. Install AZ Recorder from the Google Play Store and launch the app.
2. Grant it permission to access your notifications, photos, and videos when prompted.
3. Tap the camcorder icon in the lower-right corner. Your device notifies you that the app wants to access your screen content.
4. Tap Start now, and a countdown begins.

   

   

5. You’ll see a red circle on the side of your screen with a timer, indicating that the recording has begun.
6. To end the recording, tap the circle to expand its options and select the stop button. The app saves the video to your gallery.
7. If you don’t see the circle, open the notification panel and tap Stop.

   

   

8. The app shows a preview of your recording. You can play, edit, or share it across different platforms.

   

Your Android’s capabilities don’t stop at screen recording

Sometimes, you may want to extract audio alone from apps for multimedia projects. Your built-in voice recorder would’ve been the ideal solution, but it isn’t designed for that purpose. It stops when you play sound from other apps because it only handles one audio source at a time. That means you can’t record your voice or other external sounds and sounds internal to the device. One way to work around this issue is to record the audio with a screen recorder and convert the file from video to audio format.