Screen recording on Android is much easier than before. Then you needed an app or a recording card. However, Google has implemented native screen capture in Android Lollipop, which you can do on modern smartphones with the push of a button. You can usually find the screenshot button in quick settings. In any case, there are some use cases where the app is still preferable. This includes people who want more features than just basic recording. These are the best screen capture apps for Android that let you do more than just capture your screen.
AZ Screen Recorder
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($2.49 – $11.99 per item)
AZ Screen Recorder is the gold standard for screen recording applications. It is light, simple, accessible and cheap. Contains an overlay button that does not interfere with recorded content. Plus, you can add a front-facing camera for things like game streams or commentary. It even has a small video editor built in. That way you can remove parts that are not important. Of course, it doesn’t require root, no watermarks, no time limits and more. It is probably the best and most popular screen recorder available.
InShot screen recorder
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($5.99 – $49.99 per item)
InShot is quite a popular video tool developer on Google Play. Its screen capture app is among the most popular. It works for all tasks, from video content to video games. The app also has internal audio recording and a lightweight video editor for cleaning, and no watermark. It works pretty well for what it does. Native Android now has a screen recorder, but this one adds something more that the internal screen recorder doesn’t. There is a subscription service for some features; otherwise it’s good.
Link to Windows
Price: Free
Link to Windows is a native tool for Windows PCs that works with Android. It has many functions, including sending and receiving texts on your computer, checking your gallery, and even answering phone calls. However, it also allows you to mirror your Android phone to your computer. From there, you can use your computer to capture your phone’s screen instead of doing it natively. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it works pretty well.
Twitch and similar applications
Price: Free
Many streaming services now include mobile support. Twitch and YouTube Gaming are two of the most prominent. Stream your game as usual. Both services allow you to download your footage after you’re done. It is a good solution, especially for gamers. It’s probably better than Google Play Games for this sort of thing. Unlike Google Play Games, this one isn’t easy to use for apps or anything other than gaming. At least these services are free.
Vysor and similar applications
Price: Free
Vysor is a fun little app that lets you cast your device to your computer screen via USB. From there you can use it on your computer or capture it on your computer screen if you want. It usually works well, although you have to shell out a little money to get HD quality. This app doesn’t record anything on its own, so don’t expect any options for that. You will need to record it yourself on your computer. TeamViewer is another decent option if this app doesn’t work for you. To take a screenshot, you need a screen recording application on your computer.
Just use your phone
Price: Free
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Android has natively supported screen recording for several years. You can usually find it among the quick settings switches. Press the switch and the phone starts recording the screen. This is a good option for simple things. There’s no extra software to get in the way, and you can send your video wherever you need it after it’s done.
We think most people will be using this solution in the future anyway, so we wanted to add it to the list. You don’t need an app, so we don’t have a Google Play button.
Other methods for taking screenshots
Another way to take screenshots on Android is to use hardware. There are two main ways to do this using hardware:
- Professionals often use a recording card to connect their Android device to their computer and record from there. Capture cards can be expensive, but you’ll likely get the best fps and quality. Plus, it records directly to your computer’s hard drive, allowing for much larger recordings. Earlier models had to work around some potential HDCP issues, but modern capture cards don’t have that problem.
- Some Chromebooks can now directly mirror your Android device. This, of course, requires the purchase of a Chromebook. That’s an unreasonable cost for what should be a relatively simple task. However, we try to cover all the basics here, which is optional. But you still need a Chromecast screen recording app.
If we’ve missed any great Android screen capture methods, let us know about them in the comments!