Screen recording
Also known as: screen record, screen capture video, record screen
A screen recording is a video that captures everything happening on your display, saved to your photo library. These clips are easy to make and often forgotten, so they quietly pile up and consume storage like any other video.
- Saves your display as a standard video file
- Started from Control Center (iOS) or quick settings (Android)
- Often forgotten, so they accumulate in the camera roll
How screen recording works
Screen recording captures your display as a video file. On iOS you add Screen Recording to Control Center and tap to start; on Android it lives in the quick-settings tile. The recording saves to your Photos or gallery as a standard video.
Because it records at your screen’s resolution and frame rate, a long recording produces a sizable file — the same factors that make any video large apply here.
Why it matters for storage
Screen recordings are quick to create and just as quick to forget. People capture a how-to, a glitch, or a moment in an app, then never delete it, so these clips accumulate in the camera roll.
When you are freeing space, screen recordings are a good first target: they are usually one-time references, often long, and easy to clear in a batch once you know where they collect in your library.