2022-10-17
Modern smartphones running the Android operating system have a minimum number of physical keys on the body. In particular, on it you will not find the PrintScreen button, which captures what is happening on the screen as a separate image, as it is implemented on a PC or laptop. If you're wondering how to take a screenshot on Android, check out our article. In it, we will analyze all the popular ways to perform this task.
When would you need it?
The screenshot may be required by the user at any moment. For example if you encounter a problem with one of your applications. Once you have made a screenshot, you can send it to the developer to ensure the presence of the issue and fix it in the next update.
The screenshots allow you to document your gaming achievements which is very important for some gamers. You can use them to share a snippet of an article or a frame from a movie, as well as show you where in the settings the desired section is located. These are just a few examples of how to use screenshots: actually there are much more, depending only on the fantasy and needs of the gadget owner.
Creating screenshots on older smartphones
Unfortunately the very first versions of the Android OS did not have a built in screen capture feature. Such feature has appeared in the software only with the release of Android 2.4. If your smartphone is running an older version of the OS, you must first obtain root rights and then download one of the following applications:
- Screenshot
- No Root Screenshot It
The last of them allegedly works even without root rights. But practice shows that without them the screenshot on the phone is saved at the best case once in a while.
Updated OS versions
If your smartphone is less than 5-7 years old, then most probably it is equipped with a quite recent OS version. In that case you may take a screenshot with your Android Smartphone without using special software.
Smartphone buttons
In modern smartphones, the most common way to take a screenshot is to press the power and volume buttons together. This is exactly how you can take a screenshot on mobile devices produced by Motorola , LG , Sony , Lenovo , Meizu, Xiaomi , HTC and many others.
With recent apps
Android 11 has a new way to take a screenshot - through the menu with recent apps. To do this navigate to the relevant section, navigate to the application window which you would like to take a screenshot and tap "Screenshot"> below it. An icon of the screenshot will appear at the bottom of the screen. You can edit it or send it to someone else.
With the special features menu
Taking a screenshot is possible from the special features menu, but you need to enable it first.
Step 1. Open "Settings" and go to "Hotkeys" .
Step 2. Find "Hotkeys menu" . Slide the slider to the right to activate the option.
Step 4. Now open the application you would like to take a screenshot of and slide your fingers from the bottom edge of the screen up. A menu of special options opens. Click on the right arrow.
Step 5. In the page that appears tap on the "Screenshot" button. This will take a screenshot.
With Google Assistant
If you use the Google Voice Assistant you can take a screenshot too. To do so open the application you need a screenshot of and launch Google Assistant in any convenient way. Say or type "Take a screenshot" . If the Assistant has permission to access the screen, the screenshot will be taken right away.
On smartphones with unofficial firmware
If you have unofficial firmware installed on your device try to hold down the shutdown button. It is possible that in the displayed menu you will find "Screenshot" .
Touching the button will immediately save the corresponding image. Of course the menu itself will not be displayed.
Samsung
The screenshot with the "Power" + "Volume down" buttons is possible if you use a Samsung smartphone without physical "Home" button.
If your Samsung smartphone has the "Home" button on the bottom, you should press this button and the Hotkey simultaneously to take a screenshot. This consists of sliding the palm of your hand from the right edge of the screen to the left, or vice versa. However you should first enable this gesture in the settings as by default its recognition may be disabled.
Xiaomi
On Xiaomi devices and some other Android smartphones a screenshot may be taken via the notification panel. To do so, please follow these steps:
Step 1 . Swipe the screen from top to bottom and tap on "Screenshot" . The smartphone will then automatically take a screenshot.
Step 2 . If this button does not exist, find the option "Sorting" (could be another name). A special menu opens where you can add more buttons including "Screenshot" and "Record screen" to capture images and videos from the smartphone. To do this, simply drag and drop the desired icons to the notification panel and press "Done" .
Motorola, Lenovo
Owners of the new Motorola and Lenovo smartphones with gesture control support can take a screenshot by touching the screen with three slightly spread fingers. Before doing so navigate to the "Moto" application, find the appropriate section and enable the function.
Gesture capture applications
If the built-in features of OS Android for some reason you are not satisfied you may use dedicated applications to create screenshots. There is an enormous amount of them available in Google Play store and you may find the most interesting ones below.
Xrecorder
The most popular (over 100 million downloads) is "XRecorder"> from InShot . This application has a wide range of functionality and allows you to make not only a screenshot, but also a video. You may take a screenshot with the application notification panel or with the on-screen buttons, provided you allow "XRecorder" the appropriate permission during the installation. You can work with the screenshots through the interface of this application.
SUPER Screen Capture
This application has the same features as the previous one. Among its features you will find a screenshot and a video recording of what happens on the screen as well as a lot of tools to work with video.
As in the previous one, a screenshot is created through the notification panel or through a floating button on the screen. The finished images are managed through the interface of the application.
Screenshot
If you do not want to record a video, check out this application. Once you have provided all the necessary permissions to take a screenshot, all you need to do is to click a button on the screen.
You can edit the resulting screenshot, add extra text or make other modifications.
Conclusion
In our article we have reviewed how to take a screenshot on your smartphone running Android with ease and comfort. The operating system itself provides a wide range of possibilities for this task, but in addition you can use special applications from Google Play . Share in the comments which methods you use, and if you know others, tell us about them and we will include them in this material. And if you want to know where screenshots are saved on Android , you can read about it in a separate article.
