Smartphones with Android have had the screen recording feature since version 5, thus offering the possibility for users to record everything we watch or open on the smartphone in convenient videos, excellent for tutorials or to show an app to a friend.
To create the screen video we can use both the apps integrated in many smartphones and use specific apps that we can find on the store, so as to also obtain new recording features.
In this guide we will show you how to record the Android screen into a video using all the supported methods and the best apps
In fact, remember that from Android 5 onwards it is not necessary to have root permissions to record the screen.
READ ALSO: Record the PC screen
If we are lucky we will immediately find the right app to record the Android screen; for example on the Xiaomi the Record screen app is available which is light, simple but effective to record the screen.
To start recording videos, simply click in the center or bottom right, then click on the Rec symbol which will appear as a small overlay button in the corner of the screen. At the end of the recording we click the button again to close it, so we can save the video in the device memory. The procedure may be slightly different for other manufacturers, but the operation of the integrated apps is very similar to when illustrated.
We click on the Rec symbol to start recording our game session, taking care to move our avatar to a corner of the screen where it doesn't disturb. As an extra feature we can record our voice (by clicking on the Mic button) or add the shot of the front camera, so that we can also view our reactions in the video. Remember the app also records the sounds of the smartphone, therefore the sounds emitted by the game but also ringtones and calls. If we want to record anything else and not just games, once the recording system has started inside a game, just go back to the Android Home: as we can see, the registration button does not disappear and we can use it to record anything (also other apps or procedures) within the video. At the end of the registration we click Stop to stop the registration; the video created can be saved in the device memory or shared immediately on YouTube, so that we can enrich our channel with mobile game sessions.
If we have a mobile phone with Android 4.4 or lower, screen recording is only possible by unlocking Android with root permissions, unless you use a special procedure by connecting the phone to the computer with the cable.
This procedure is also valid for all subsequent smartphone models, since it uses a special administrative functionality integrated in all versions of Android.
To record the screen on old and rootless Android, it is necessary, in a nutshell, to perform the following steps:
- We enable the Android developer options
- From the developer options, we activate the entries USB Debug and Show touches .
- On the computer (Windows or Mac) we install ADB Universal Installer, that is the suite containing all the executables necessary to administer Android via terminal commands.
- Then connect the Android phone to the PC and press OK on the mobile phone, when the request for USB debugging from PC will appear.
- We open a Windows command prompt window, go to the ADB Universal Installer installation path (using the cd command, see here on how to use ADB), then run the adb devices command to see if the Android device is recognized.
- If we want to record the video of the Android screen, make sure it is unlocked and turned on, then type the command:
adb shell screenrecord --verbose ./sdcard/screencast-video.mp4
Once finished, in the prompt window, we press the Ctrl + C keys to stop recording; the video will be saved in the device memory and we can review it from any app to watch videos on Android.
The procedure is a bit laborious, but all in all not difficult once done the first time.
To create the screen video we can use both the apps integrated in many smartphones and use specific apps that we can find on the store, so as to also obtain new recording features.
In this guide we will show you how to record the Android screen into a video using all the supported methods and the best apps
In fact, remember that from Android 5 onwards it is not necessary to have root permissions to record the screen.
READ ALSO: Record the PC screen
1) Record the Android screen with the integrated app
Many Android smartphone manufacturers provide a dedicated app to record the screen, so you don't have to use any third party apps and have maximum compatibility. To check if our smartphone falls into this category, we open the list of apps and look for Record screen or Screen Recorder .If we are lucky we will immediately find the right app to record the Android screen; for example on the Xiaomi the Record screen app is available which is light, simple but effective to record the screen.
To start recording videos, simply click in the center or bottom right, then click on the Rec symbol which will appear as a small overlay button in the corner of the screen. At the end of the recording we click the button again to close it, so we can save the video in the device memory. The procedure may be slightly different for other manufacturers, but the operation of the integrated apps is very similar to when illustrated.
2) Record the screen with Google Play Games
Another method to record the Android screen is to take advantage of the Google Play Games app, available as a default app or installable separately on any Android smartphone. Once installed we open the game preview screen through this app (obviously it must be a game previously installed on the phone), then we click on the camera symbol at the top. After 3 seconds the game will open and our profile avatar will appear, with the recording control buttons.
We click on the Rec symbol to start recording our game session, taking care to move our avatar to a corner of the screen where it doesn't disturb. As an extra feature we can record our voice (by clicking on the Mic button) or add the shot of the front camera, so that we can also view our reactions in the video. Remember the app also records the sounds of the smartphone, therefore the sounds emitted by the game but also ringtones and calls. If we want to record anything else and not just games, once the recording system has started inside a game, just go back to the Android Home: as we can see, the registration button does not disappear and we can use it to record anything (also other apps or procedures) within the video. At the end of the registration we click Stop to stop the registration; the video created can be saved in the device memory or shared immediately on YouTube, so that we can enrich our channel with mobile game sessions.
3) App to record the screen on Android
If the best practices so far have not fully satisfied us or we want more control over the recordings, we can install another app to record the screen on the Android phone.- AZ Screen Recorder : a very simple app for smartphones with Android that works without root and allows you to record the screen in a video. This app offers many additional options, such as the countdown timer and buttons to pause and record with a quick touch on the screen.
- Screen Recorder : very simple and ad-free app that can record everything that passes on the screen with simple overlay buttons. If we are looking for something simple and fast, this is the right app.
- Mobizen Screen Recorder is the app provided by Samsung for recording the screen of the Android phone. With this app we can create videos in a simple way but also edit them, cut them out, add music and make them truly professional with a few clicks on the screen.
- Super Screen Recorder is the ideal official app to record games to video games on your phone to be published on Twitch or Youtube, completely free of charge and high quality video support
- Twitch : the famous video streaming app for gamers allows, in addition to watching other players playing video games for PC and mobile, to record and send live all the games we play on the smartphone.
- MNML Screen Recorder includes a couple of additional settings such as adjusting FPS and bitrate based on the phone's hardware specifications.
4) Record the Android screen from PC or on old phones
If we have a mobile phone with Android 4.4 or lower, screen recording is only possible by unlocking Android with root permissions, unless you use a special procedure by connecting the phone to the computer with the cable.
This procedure is also valid for all subsequent smartphone models, since it uses a special administrative functionality integrated in all versions of Android.
To record the screen on old and rootless Android, it is necessary, in a nutshell, to perform the following steps:
- We enable the Android developer options
- From the developer options, we activate the entries USB Debug and Show touches .
- On the computer (Windows or Mac) we install ADB Universal Installer, that is the suite containing all the executables necessary to administer Android via terminal commands.
- Then connect the Android phone to the PC and press OK on the mobile phone, when the request for USB debugging from PC will appear.
- We open a Windows command prompt window, go to the ADB Universal Installer installation path (using the cd command, see here on how to use ADB), then run the adb devices command to see if the Android device is recognized.
- If we want to record the video of the Android screen, make sure it is unlocked and turned on, then type the command:
adb shell screenrecord --verbose ./sdcard/screencast-video.mp4
Once finished, in the prompt window, we press the Ctrl + C keys to stop recording; the video will be saved in the device memory and we can review it from any app to watch videos on Android.
The procedure is a bit laborious, but all in all not difficult once done the first time.
