How to Screen Record on iPhone (2026 Guide)

Apple introduced screen recording on iPhone with the iOS 11 update. But over the years, it has been shifted around so much that some people have had a hard time locating the option, much less even using it. Even some new users who had never tried iOS face the same troubles. So, if you want to easily capture the contents of your display, then check out this guide to learn how to screen record on iPhone. 

How to Add Screen Recording Tile to Control Centre 

Before you record your iPhone screen, it's important that you have the "Screen Recording" tile accessible on your iPhone. This tile needs to be added to your Control Centre. Newer models like iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 have the Screen Recording tile on Control Centre by default. But if you can't find it on your device, here's what you need to do: 

1. Launch the Control Centre by swiping down from the top right.
2. Here, tap on the + icon at the top left and hit Add a Control from the bottom.

3. Select Screen Recording from the list of Controls. Its icon will feature a dense circle with a circular outline.
4. Once added, tap on an empty space in Control Centre to position it there. You can also drag and drop the Screen Recording tile to your preferred position.

Now, you know where to start screen recording from your iPhone or iPad. 

How to Screen Record on iPhone 

There are actually multiple ways to record your iPhone's screen, and you don't even need a third-party app to do that. I checked around Reddit, Quora, Apple Forums and other helpful pages to learn about these methods, and I have summed them up into step-by-step instructions below. 

Record Screen from Control Centre 

If you have the Screen recording tile added to the Control Centre, it becomes very simple to start recording your screen, and this method works across all Apple iPhones running iOS 11 or later.

1. Launch the Control Centre by swiping down from the top right.
2. On devices with a Home button, like the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE (2020), swipe up from the bottom.
3. Here, tap on the Screen Recording tile. A 3-second timer will begin before it begins.

4. You can now record the contents of your screen as needed, and once you are done, tap on the red icon from the Dynamic Island or the red pill from the status bar.
5. Then tap on the Stop icon to end the screen recording.

Record Screen with Audio on iPhone

By default, the iPhone screen recorder captures everything on your screen, except for audio. So, if you want to include audio from your microphone, like in case you are doing a voiceover, you will need to enable it manually first.  

1. Launch the Control Centre by swiping down from the top right.
2. Here, long-press Screen Recording.
3. In the Screen Recording menu, tap on the Microphone button at the bottom.

4. When enabled, the Microphone button will turn red.
5. Now, go back and start screen recording. This time it will include the audio from the on-screen content.

This method is helpful if you want to do voiceovers for a lecture or download a YouTube video on iPhone with screen recordings and share it among your friends. 

Start Recording Your iPhone Screen with Siri

You can also start recording your screen when you are away from your iPhone by asking Siri. This is especially useful when you want to screen record without interrupting what is on your screen. 

1. Activate Siri by saying "Hey Siri" or long-pressing the Side button on your iPhone.
2. Say, "Start screen recording".
3. Siri will confirm and begin the 3-second countdown before the recording starts.
4. Once you are done, activate Siri again and say, "Stop screen recording".

How to Enable HDR Screen Recording on iPhone 

You can also capture your screen in HDR, offering significantly better picture quality and wider dynamic range. Instead of the regular HEVC format, your recordings are saved in HEVC HDR 10. However, it requires iOS 26-supported devices like the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, up to the newer iPhone 17. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and head over to General > Screen Capture.

2. Here, select HDR under "Format".

This is the method I use to typically record screens on my iPhone Air, as the quality is much better. 

Where Will You Find Your Captured Screen Recording? 

All screen recordings on the iPhone are automatically stored in the Photos app once you stop the recording. This is something people also get confused about and later struggle to find their screen captures for, so I thought it would be worth mentioning here. To make it easier, here's a breakdown of where to find your screen recordings on iPhone:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and go to Collections.
2. Now, select Videos under "Media Types", and here you will find your screen recordings.

Screen Recording Not Working on Your iPhone? Try These Troubleshooting Fixes to Find a Solution

If your screen recording is not working properly or something unexpected is happening, here is how to fix it. 

• Disable Screen Time restrictions: If the Screen Recording button is greyed out or missing even after adding it, Screen Time is likely blocking it. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions and set Screen Recording to Allow.
• Free up storage space: Screen recordings stop automatically if your iPhone runs out of storage mid-recording. A typical one-minute recording uses around 30 to 50 MB. Check your available storage under Settings > General > iPhone Storage and free up space. You can also clear the cache on your iPhone to get extra space on your device.
• Keep your screen: If your recording keeps stopping unexpectedly, check that your screen is not turning off mid-session. Screen recording stops automatically when the display turns off. Go to Settings > Display and Brightness > Auto-Lock and set it to a longer interval or Never before recording.
• Black screen when recording streaming apps: Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and most other streaming services block screen recording for copyright reasons. The recording will still run, but the video will show a black screen. This is by design and cannot be bypassed.
• Restart your iPhone: If the red status bar at the top of your screen stays on after you stop recording, try to restart your iPhone by pressing Volume Up, then Volume Down, then holding the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Screen recording on iPhone is one of those features that sounds simple until you need it for the first time and cannot find it. Once it is set up in your Control Centre, it takes just a couple of taps to start and stop a recording from anywhere on your phone. I hope I was able to clear that and the rest of the methods and help you out in the process.