How to Stop Screen Recording on iPhone

  1. 1

    Method 1: Tap the red status bar

    While screen recording is active, a red bar or red dot appears at the top of the iPhone screen (in the time display area on newer iPhones). Tap this red indicator. A confirmation pop-up asks “Stop Screen Recording?” — tap Stop. The recording saves immediately.

  2. 2

    Method 2: Control Centre

    Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Centre. Tap the Screen Recording button (a filled circle inside a ring). It turns from red/active to white/inactive. The recording saves automatically.

Where Is the Recording Saved?

Screen recordings save automatically to your Photos app. Find them in Photos → Recents, or in Photos → Albums → Videos or Screen Recordings. They save as MP4 files and can be shared, edited or trimmed directly in the Photos app.

How to Start Screen Recording

If Screen Recording is not in your Control Centre: Settings → Control Centre → tap the + next to Screen Recording to add it. Then swipe down → long-press the screen recording button for options (microphone audio on/off before starting).

Recording with audioLong-press the Screen Recording button in Control Centre → tap the microphone icon to toggle it on before tapping Start Recording. With the microphone on, your voice is recorded along with the screen content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Screen recordings capture device audio (notifications, app sounds) but not your microphone by default. To record your voice: long-press the screen recording button in Control Centre → tap Microphone to turn it on before starting. Also check that the volume on your device is not muted and that Do Not Disturb mode is not silencing app sounds.
No — streaming apps including Netflix, Disney+, Stan and most other content services use copy protection (DRM) that prevents screen recording. The iPhone shows a black screen instead of the content when you attempt to record. This is intentional and enforced at the app level, not a bug.