How To Capture Your iPhone Screen with Audio

Screen recording on an iPhone? Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward, and honestly, Apple makes it kinda easy with a built-in feature. But what trips people up is that you gotta add the screen recorder to the Control Center first — because of course, iPhones like to make things not super obvious. Once it’s set up, you can record everything happening on your screen, plus grab external audio from your mic if needed. That’s great if you’re trying to make tutorials, record gameplay, or just save weird chat conversations. Not sure why, but sometimes it feels like the feature works perfectly one day and then refuses to record sound the next; sounds familiar, right? So here’s a rundown on how to set it up properly and get everything capturing—whether it’s just screen activity or external audio too.

How to Record iPhone Screen with Sound

Adding Screen Recording to Control Panel — Because Why Not?

First, load up the Settings app — not the most exciting step, but it’s the start.
Scroll down and tap on Control Center. This is where all the magic happens.
Look for More Controls, then find Screen Recording.
Tap the Plus (+) icon next to it. Yes, it’s just that simple. This adds the icon to your Control Center, making recording super easy to start anytime.
Now, pull down the Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner or swipe up, depending on your iPhone model).You should see the screen recording icon — a circle within another circle.

This setup step is crucial because if it’s not there, you’ll be chasing your tail trying to record. Slightly annoying how Apple hides this, but once it’s in the Control Center, it’s smooth sailing.

Recording Your Screen with Sound — The Actual How-To

Open the Control Center and tap the Screen Recording icon. On newer iPhones, it’s the circle-with-dot icon.
Before you start recording, you might want to enable external audio. Long-press (or 3D Touch if you’re old school) the Screen Recording button. A menu pops up—here’s where you tell it to include audio from your mic.
Tap the Microphone icon to turn on external sound recording. You’ll see a red dot or microphone icon to confirm it’s active.
Press Start Recording. After a 3-second countdown, it begins. You’ll notice the red clock/status bar at the top turning red — yeah, that’s your cue it’s recording.

Not sure why it works sometimes and then not other times, but enabling the mic here is usually the key. Be aware — turning on the mic means it picks up whatever’s around you, so background noise can sneak in. Oh, and if you forget to turn the mic on, it’ll just record the screen activity, no external sound.

Stopping the Recording and What Happens Next

When done, open the Control Center again and tap the same Screen Recording icon. Alternatively, tap the red status bar at the top and confirm you want to stop.
The recording automatically saves as a video to your Photos app, and you get a quick notification about it.
If you turned on the mic, that audio is embedded in the clip. Otherwise, it’s just screen activity.

Again, on some setups, the process to enable sound recording feels finicky — sometimes the mic toggle doesn’t work right away, or you need to lock the screen, then unlock again to refresh the menu. Just kind of weird, but with patience, it usually works.

Alternative: Use Third-Party Apps for Extra Control

If the built-in stuff doesn’t cut it, or you want more features, there are plenty of third-party screen recorders with extra bells and whistles. Some apps even support live streaming, facecam overlays, editing inside the app, and better control over audio sources. Just a heads-up — many apps from the App Store can do a decent job, but make sure to pick ones with good reviews and recent updates.

Here are a few options to check out:

Record it! — Good for recording gameplay, tutorials, and adding reactions. Has a built-in editor for quick trims and effects.
VideoShow Screen Recorder — More of an all-in-one video tool, with editing and live recording features.
DU Recorder — Supports streaming and recording with multiple audio sources. Also good if you want to broadcast your gameplay directly.

Most of these apps let you record with internal and external audio, and some even support capturing system sounds, which can be kinda tricky on iOS. Just remember, if you want external mic audio, you need to toggle those options before recording starts.

Anyway, hopefully this sheds a little light on the whole process. Because, let’s face it, Apple’s design choices sometimes make simple tasks a bit more convoluted than necessary.

Summary

Added Screen Recording to Control Center — because it’s not on by default.
Enabled microphone when needed for external sound.
Stopped recording easily from the Control Center or status bar.
Considered third-party apps for more advanced options.

Wrap-up

Getting your iPhone to record screen with sound is mostly straightforward once you get the hang of turning on the mic in the control menu and making sure it’s in your Control Center. If it still feels flaky, check for system updates or reboot — sometimes a quick reset clears out weird bugs. The third-party apps add a lot of flexibility if you need more features than Apple’s native tools provide. Fingers crossed this helps someone save time and frustration. Good luck, and happy recording!