How to Screen Record on iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max (iOS 27 Guide)

To screen record on the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center, tap the gray Record button, wait through the three-second countdown, then exit Control Center — your iPhone is now capturing everything on screen. To stop, tap the red indicator in the top-left corner and tap Stop, or reopen Control Center and tap the red Record button again. The finished clip saves automatically to the Photos app.

Everything in this guide works on the Pro and Pro Max models available now, and the method is identical across every current iPhone running iOS 27.

Quick Steps: Screen Record on iPhone 18 in Under 10 Seconds

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center.
2. Tap the gray Record button (a solid circle inside a ring).
3. Wait for the three-second countdown.
4. Exit Control Center — recording has started, shown by a red indicator at the top of the screen.
5. To stop, tap the red indicator and tap Stop, or reopen Control Center and tap the red Record button.
6. Open the Photos app and check Library for your recording.

Before You Start: Add Screen Recording to Control Center

On most iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units, the Screen Recording button is already in Control Center by default. If it isn’t there, add it in under a minute:

1. Open Settings and tap Control Center.
2. Find Screen Recording in the list of available controls.
3. Tap the green + button next to it to add it to your included controls.
4. Swipe down from the top-right corner to confirm the Record button now appears.

You can also add it directly from Control Center itself: open Control Center, long-press an empty area, tap Add a Control, search for Screen Recording, then tap it to drop it into your layout.

How to Screen Record With Sound on iPhone 18

A screen recording captures in-app audio (music, game sound, video playback) by default. If you also want to narrate over the top with your voice, you need to turn on the microphone separately.

Recording app or system audio only

Just follow the quick steps above — no extra setup needed. In-app sound is captured automatically as long as the app itself allows audio playback.

Adding your voice with the microphone

1. Open Control Center.
2. Press and hold (long-press) the Screen Recording icon instead of tapping it.
3. Tap the Microphone toggle so it turns red/active.
4. Tap Start Recording.

If you forget this step, you can also tap the microphone icon that appears in the expanded Control Center menu before you start, or check your recording afterward in Photos — if there’s no voice track, redo it with the microphone toggled on.

How to Stop a Screen Recording on iPhone 18

There are two ways to end a recording:

1. Tap the red status indicator at the top of the screen (next to the clock or Dynamic Island), then tap Stop in the confirmation prompt.
2. Reopen Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner, then tap the red Record button, which now shows the recording is active.
3. Locking your iPhone or switching on Screen Mirroring will also end a recording automatically — keep that in mind if a clip cuts off earlier than expected.

Where iPhone 18 Screen Recordings Are Saved

Every recording goes straight to the Photos app and appears in your main Library alongside your regular photos and videos. Each recording displays a small video-camera icon and its runtime, and Photos sorts recordings by capture date and time. To stay organized, create a dedicated “Screen Recordings” album and move your clips there after recording.

What’s New in iOS 27 Screen Recording

iOS 27, which shipped with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, carried over the same Control Center-based screen recording flow from previous versions, with a couple of small refinements:

• Auto-clearing indicator: once you stop a recording, the red status indicator in Control Center now clears itself instead of lingering on screen.
• Three-second countdown: every recording still begins with a brief countdown, giving you a moment to switch to the app or screen you actually want to capture before anything is recorded.
• Control Center placement is unchanged: it still opens from the top-right corner. What did move in iOS 27 is Notification Center, which now opens from the top-left corner instead of the top-center — worth knowing so you don’t swipe the wrong corner while trying to start a recording.

Fixing Screen Recording Problems on iPhone 18

• Recording shows a black screen. Some apps block screen capture to protect copyrighted content. Streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu commonly show a black screen during playback when recorded — this is expected and not a bug on your end.
• No sound in the recording. Check whether the microphone toggle was on if you wanted narration, and confirm the app you’re recording isn’t muted or set to silent. For in-app audio, make sure your iPhone’s ring/silent switch and volume aren’t muted.
• Recording stopped unexpectedly. This usually happens if the screen locked, you started Screen Mirroring, or you switched to an app that explicitly blocks recording. You can’t run screen recording and screen mirroring at the same time.
• Can’t find the Record button. Go back to the “Before You Start” steps above and add Screen Recording to Control Center from Settings.
• Recording won’t start or Control Center is unresponsive. Restart your iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, confirm you have free storage space, and make sure iOS 27 is fully updated under Settings > General > Software Update.

Frequently Asked Questions