Screenshots are undoubtedly a boon for those Android users who want an easy way to capture a particular section of the screen and share it on the go. But have you considered screen recording? Isn’t it the best way to capture the screen?
Unlike screenshots, screen recording captures more content on screen in a video format. It also comes as a part of system apps in the quick settings of LG, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, etc. And is easy to use. We know that you must have wondered how to record screen on Android as it is the most used operating system.
In this article, we will discuss all the possible ways to record the screen on Android. And not only this, but you also get other important information.
So, let’s start without further ado.
Why Do You Need A Screen Recorder?
Before going into how to record a screen on an Android, let’s answer the question – why do you need a screen recorder. This is the most useful tool for capturing the content on screen.
Screen recording is responsible for creating a video of the screen. But that’s not all. There are other important reasons why you need a screen recorder. Following are some of the common ones.
1. Effective Demonstration
As aforementioned, a screen recorder is an effective tool for demonstrating something you saw on your device’s screen to others. For example, if you want to show the video editing process, you can screen record while doing it on your device. It will record all the steps and processes. And you can share this video with anyone. Isn’t this cool?
And the best part is that you can watch the video tutorials as often as you want.
2. Create A Short Video
As in the above example, we have explained that the screen recorder can be a brief explanation. For example, you wanted to capture a scene from a movie or video. You can do it with the help of your screen recorder on your phone and share it with others.
3. Use For Reporting Bugs
If you are experiencing some error or bug while using your phone or any application, you can always screen record it with the help of a screen recorder. You can then share the recording with the developer so that they can understand the issue and provide an appropriate solution.
And again, for showing the solution, the developer can also use the screen recorder to record the solution required for your error.
4. Use For Recording Meetings
Meetings are now held online everywhere, saving valuable time and more convenience. Here as well, the screen recorder plays an important role.
You can record meetings, webinars, school lectures, etc., and then watch them later. These are the kind of notes you’ll take during the process so that you can be more present at the moment rather than just writing something.
5. Record Gameplay
Nowadays, online games are the most common activity people do on phones. And they use the screen recorder to record the gameplay to share it later. This can be used for an explanation of the game to others. Or in some cases, they upload these videos online among their subscribers or followers.
Similarly, there are several other instances where a screen recorder comes in handy for both the recorder and target user.
Why Use The Built-In Screen Recorder?
There are several third-party applications built for every purpose, the same in the case of screen recording. Then why should anyone choose the built-in screen recorder over them?
Here is the answer.
The breach of privacy is a possibility in the case of third-party applications. Hence, if you want to maintain the security of your device’s data, you should always enable the built-in application of your device for recording the screen.
Now, older Android versions don’t feature a built-in recorder. Hence, you will have to rely on third-party applications in that scenario.
How to Enable The Hidden Screen Recorder In Android 10?
Although the latest Android versions have a stock screen recorder app, mostly in the notification panel, it is not enabled by default.
Following are the steps you require for enabling the hidden screen recorder in Android 10.
- Enable The Developer options
It is an important step in enabling USB debugging, which is further required for the connection process of your phone and PC. Follow the below steps for enabling Developer options.
- Open the Settings application on your phone.
- Tap on the System/About Phone option.
- Tap on the About Phone tab by scrolling down to the bottom. Some models have this option right at the top of Settings.
- Look out for the Build Number. Alternatively, look for the Version number.
- Tap on the number seven times.
- Go back to the System tab.
- You will now find Developer Options.
- Enable USB Debugging
After enabling the Developer options, you can enable USB Debugging. For this, follow these steps.
- Open the Settings of your phone.
- Tap on the System tab.
- Open the Advanced Settings.
- Enable USB Debugging by tapping on Developer Options.
- Install The Android SDK Platform
You need to install the Android SDK Platform from Google’s Android Developer tools as per your operating system on your desktop.
- Use ADB Command
After installing the Android SDK Platform, you can move forward to follow these steps.
- Open the platform-tools folder on your PC.
- Type cmd in the file path box.
- A command prompt box will appear on the screen.
- Connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable.
- Type ADB devices and hit Enter once you connect the phone.
- Type this command and press Enter. ADB shell settings put global settings_screenrecord_long_press true,
- A hidden screen recorder app will be added to your power menu of the device by the above command.
- Use The In-Built Screen Recorder
In case you have no idea about using the screen recorder on your device, you can follow these steps:
- Press and hold the Power button of your phone. It will take the screenshot and then tap on the screenshot option.
- You have to choose if you want to record a voiceover or not.
- You need to Agree to the warning that appears on the screen.
- Tap on the Start Now option and carry on with the screen recording process.
By default, all your screen recordings are saved in the Gallery app.
What Is The Standard Way how to record screen on Android Device?
You can record the screen with or without sound. And following are the steps needed to be followed for this.
- Swipe down the notification panel on the lock or home screen. Here, you’ll find the screen recording app.
- If you use the app for the first time, it might not appear there. In this situation, tap on the Pencil icon to customize the notification panel. Look for the screen recorder icon and then drag it to the top. Tap the tiny arrow to close this, and the app will appear on the Quick Setting menu.
- Again, swipe down the notification panel.
- Tap on the Screen Recorder icon. It has a video icon.
- Choose whether you want to record the screen with or without audio. Moreover, you can customize it if you want the app to detect the taps on the screen by you or not.
- Start recording by tapping on the Start option.
- Tap on the Stop option when you are done recording.
- The recording will be saved in your main Gallery app, among other files.
You can also edit the screen recording as you edit screenshots.
9 Best Third-Party Apps To Record Screen On Android
As aforementioned, not all Android versions support the screen recording feature. For this, several third-party applications are specially designed for screen recording on Android devices.
Some of them are free and offer advanced features as well. We have mentioned the 9 best such apps to help you.
- AZ Screen Recorder
- Mobizen Screen Recorder
- Google Play Games
- ADV Screen Recorder
- Super Screen Recorder
- Screen Recorder By InShot (XRecorder)
- Screen Recorder V
- Vidma Screen Recorder
- Apowersoft Screen Recorder
1. AZ Screen Recorder
You might have heard of AZ Screen Recorder, as it is among the best applications designed for screen recording. It provides several extra features for screen recording at no extra charge.
That includes choice of resolution from 240p to 1080p, frame rate 20 FPS to 60 FPS, bit rate from 1 Mbps to 12 Mbps, choice of recording the audio (internal or external), touches, setting a timer of 60 seconds, and a lot more.
These were the basic features supporting screen recording, while some of its advanced features are:
- Merge two or more videos.
- Create a time-lapse video.
- Add custom audio in the video by replacing the original.
- Change the playback speed from 1/3rd to 3x.
- Advanced ways for stopping the recording. For example, by shaking or turning off the phone.
- Add text to the video.
- Export the video as GIFs
You can use the app for free or purchase the premium version. The Premium version offers additional benefits, including no advertisements.
2. Mobizen Screen Recorder
Mobizen is another screen recording app providing basic and several additional benefits. Hence, it is among the worthy applications. You can have all the following features or benefits with this app.
- You have options of different resolutions from 240p to 1080p.
- You can opt for different bit rates from 0.5 Mbps to 12mbps.
- There are different frame rates, from 5FPS to 60 FPS.
- Other features, such as video editing options, countdown options, facecam options, touch recording options, etc., are also accessible.
You can record your Android screen without any watermark, timer, or air circle on it, as this application also has the feature of Clean Recording. Not only this, in case you are using the app offline, you can always replace the app’s watermark with a custom one.
You can track the time by looking at the time duration of the video. Most of its features are free to use, but in case you find the advertisement irritating, its Premium version is what can solve that as well.
3. Google Play Games
The Google Play Games is another cool pre-installed on most Android devices. While most don’t know that it can be used for screen recording, surprisingly, it does! If your phone doesn’t have one, we highly recommend it, especially if you are looking for a Game Play screen record.
However, it has certain limitations as well. For example, it can only screen record a few apps on your phone.
The main advantage of this app is the Face Cam feature. This helps you to screen record every game on Google Play. Follow the steps below for this.
- Open the Google Play app on your device.
- Search for your game in the app.
- On the top-right corner of the screen, tap on the Recording icon.
- Choose the video quality in which you want to screen record. There are two options – 480p and 720p. The latter will use more data.
- Next, you have to launch the game, and the recording will be started.
4. ADV Screen Recorder
In case your device does not have an in-built app for screen recording, this ADV Screen Recorder is a good option to check out. It is among the easiest apps. Just install it, tap to record, and that’s all. But the cherry on the cake is the additional features it offers along with all the basic ones.
Some of the exciting features are:
- You can choose the frame rate, bit rate, and resolution of the videos, which can be customized.
- If you want to highlight text or something on the video, you type text on it.
- You can use both the front and back camera while recording the screen after pausing it.
And once you are done with the recording process, stop it. And then, you can save it in the storage and edit it later at your convenience.
5. Super Screen Recorder
While we won’t suggest the above tools for professional purposes, the Super Screen Recorder is the best app for professional users. This app is free to use, attaches no watermark on any recordings, and there is no root time or time limit for screen recording.
You can use this app for creating full HD videos.
This application offers the following features.
- Live Streaming: You can live stream on several social media platforms.
- Brush Tool: You can draw on the screen by touching it.
- Video Editor: Video Cut/Trim, Merge videos, add background music, Compress video, Video Rotate, Voice Dubbing, Video area clipping, Customize the video speed, you can remove the video’s watermark.
- GIFs Maker: You can convert the videos into GIFs.
Therefore, you can not only screen record with this app but can do a lot more things. And this is the reason why this app is highly suggested for professionals. You can download this app from Google Play Store.
6. Screen Recorder By InShot (XRecorder)
Inshot is among the best video editing apps used mainly for editing reels, videos, images, etc. There is also a screen recorder app known as Xrecorder by InShot. It has a simple UI making the entire process easier.
This app has a unique feature that you can use its paint feature to mark areas during the recording on the screen. And this is the feature responsible for its popularity among users.
Other than this, the following are some of the features offered by this app.
- You have complete control over the quality of the video.
- You can choose the resolution and bitrates of the file (small or large).
- It supports multiple audio features.
Therefore, it can be concluded that XRecorder is the best screen recording app that has amazing features, and you should try it.
7. Screen Recorder V
This Screen Recorder V application is similar to the AZ Screen Recorder in terms of the settings. More than 50 million people have installed it. And hence, it is well-known among Android users. You have the following when it comes to the quality of the recording.
- Resolution: 240p to 2K,
- Bit Rate: 2 Mbps to 15 Mbps,
- Frame Rate: 24 FPS to 60 FPS.
But some of the features are only available to paid users. And except these basic features, some of the other features are:
- It has a touch gesture feature.
- It has a countdown feature also that gives you 3 seconds to start the recording.
- You can record both types of audio, internal and external, while screen recording.
- There is no watermark on the recording of this app.
- You can use a custom-made watermark from your gallery to add to your recordings.
- You can stop the recording from the notification panel or the overlay toolbox.
8. Vidma Screen Recorder
The main reason why most users prefer Vidma Screen Recorder is its features available for free. The free version of this app offers the following features:
- Resolution up to 1080p.
- You can customize the bit rate.
- You can set a countdown of 10 seconds before starting the recording.
Advance features of this app include:
- To stop the recording, shake the device.
- You can hide the ongoing notification.
- You can allow the touches to be visible in the recordings.
- You can customize the timer, etc.
We mainly appreciate this app the most because it is the easiest to use. You don’t have to grant several permissions. Install the app and start recording. Hence if you are trying the screen recording feature for the first time, this is the best option.
9. Apowersoft Screen Recorder
Apowersoft Screen Recorder might be the different app in the entire list due to its recording feature in 1440p. Not only this, the lowest resolution this app offers is 360p. At the same time, most of the apps in the list offer 240p as the lowest resolution.
It offers a bit rate from 1 Mbps to 12 Mbps and a frame rate from 24 FPS to 60 FPS. You can easily locate your recordings on your device as prefixes’ names can be given to them.
You can also customize the floating icon of the recording to be more organized. You can also have touch gestures.
That being said, this app has an important disadvantage that affects its users the most. And that is, you can record internal audio. Hence, only external audio is recorded with this app.
So, these were the top 9 third-party Android screen recorders.
How To Edit Screen Recordings On Android?
We have discussed all the ways to record the screen on Android. But what if you want to edit it? Is there any way to edit screen recordings on Android? Yes, indeed, there are several ways by which you can edit your screen recordings.
Editing can remove any information that might cause security or privacy breaches if leaked. Or maybe you just want the video to be more fun, exciting, and entertaining.
General trimming and cropping effects can easily be made with the in-built app on android. But when it comes to advanced editing, you must download an additional app. And we believe PowerDirector is the best app for you. It allows the following features:
- Crop, zoom, trim and pan the recording.
- Add captions to the recording.
- Add arrows.
- Add sound bytes and voice-over in the recordings.
- Add effects and stickers to the video.
If you have no prior experience, this is also the best app for you to start.
Following are the steps of some basic edits with this app.
To add Pan And Zoom to screen recordings:
- Upload the screen recording to the PowerDirector app.
- Add the video to the timeline.
- Tap the video on the timeline and tap the pencil icon to edit.
- Tap on select Pan & Zoom.
- For the zoom, motion chooses the starting and ending positions.
- See the result in the preview and make the required changes in zoom motion.
To add voice-over to screen recordings:
- Drag the blue line on the video where you want to add the voice-over. It should be from where you want to start the audio.
- On the left-side toolbar, tap on the media icon.
- Open the Music Tab.
- In the right corner, tap on the mic icon.
- On the left side, click on the REC button.
- Then, start narrating.
- To stop recording the audio, tap on the record button.
- You can save, retake or delete as per your choice.
- You can also change the duration of the clip by dragging the edges.
To add text captions to screen recordings:
- Tap on the overlay icon on the left side.
- Select the Default option on the text tab. It will allow you to customize your text’s size, placement, and font.
- Tap on the text in the recording to edit it.
- Drag it to the preview of the video to change its position.
- You can change the caption duration by adjusting the text edges in the timeline.
- Repeat these steps to add as many captions as you want.
The PowerDirector app can be installed for free and can be used for reels, videos, and much more. Hence, you should download it immediately and start editing the recordings.
Conclusion
You must have now understood all the options and ways to record Android screens. And we hope to have solved your query about how to record the screen on android.
You should always consider using a built-in screen recorder for screen recording as it is safer to use. Third-party applications can lead to a breach of privacy. But if you still prefer them, you can select the best at your convenience from the above list.Â