Whether you want to create a more interactive presentation, make a hands-on guide, or share something with your friends or loved ones, screenshots come in super handy. Even though it’s dead simple to take a screenshot on iPhone, not everyone may be aware of it. Especially those who have just switched from Android to iOS. If you are one of them wondering how screen-grabbing works on iOS, let me tell you that there are 6 quick ways to capture a screenshot on iPhone.
The process of snapping screenshots varies based on iPhone models. Notably, there are three different button combinations for capturing screenshots. As for the software methods, they are slightly under the wraps and also require a bit of setup upfront. For times when the physical buttons do not work properly or you don’t find it convenient to deal with the buttons, the software tricks can make your life smooth sailing. Apart from mentioning all the possible ways of capturing screenshots, we’ve also talked about the tips for taking scrolling screenshots on iPhone and editing them to your heart’s liking. With that in mind, it’s time to dive straight into the quick steps!
- Take a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Face IDCapture a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Touch ID and Side ButtonTake a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Touch ID and Top ButtonTake Screenshot on iPhone without ButtonsCapture Screenshot on iPhone With Just a TapTake a Screenshot on iPhone With Back Tap FeatureTake an iPhone Screenshot with Your VoiceTake Scrolling Screenshots on iPhone (iOS)Use Third-Party Apps to Capture Scrolling Screenshots on iPhoneHow to Edit Screenshots on iPhoneDrag and Drop Screenshots on iPhone
Take a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Face ID
Apple has slightly tweaked the process of capturing screenshots on iPhone models with Face ID such as iPhone X, XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max. So, if you have upgraded from classic iPhones to modern ones, the new button combination might require a bit of time from you to get used to.
- Once you have snapped the screen, a thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the lower-left corner of the screen. You can now tap the thumbnail to open it or swipe left to dismiss it. To access the screenshots, head over to Photos app -> Recents. Alternately, Photos app > Albums -> Screenshots.
Capture a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Touch ID and Side Button
Capturing a screenshot on iPhone models with Touch ID and side buttons such as iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone SE 2020 is just as simple.
- After you have taken the screenshot, a thumbnail will show up at the bottom left corner of the screen. Tap the thumbnail of the screen to open it or swipe left on the thumbnail to dismiss it.
Take a Screenshot on iPhone Models with Touch ID and Top Button
If you have an iPhone model with Touch ID/Home and top buttons, you can snap a screen with ease.
Press the top button and the home button at the same and then release both the buttons.
Now, you should see the thumbnail of the screenshot in the lower-left corner of your screen. Hit the thumbnail to open it or swipe left to dismiss it.
Take Screenshot on iPhone without Buttons
AssistiveTouch has long been a useful Accessibility feature that lets you perform several common actions like restarting the iPhone, activating Reachability, taking a screenshot on iPhone without buttons, and more. Though it’s designed keeping in mind people with motor skill impairments, anyone can take advantage of it to perform certain tasks without using the hardware buttons.
Now, tap Touch and select AssistiveTouch.
Turn on the toggle next to AssistiveTouch. Then, tap the Single-Tap option located under the Custom Actions section and choose Open Menu.
Now, tap the AssistiveTouch icon -> Device -> More -> hit Screenshot and you are good to go!
Yeah, that’s how easy it is to snap a screen using AssistiveTouch. Once you have enabled this noted Accessibility feature, taking a screenshot on iPhone without using physical buttons becomes plain sailing.
If you want to get the most out of AssistiveTouch, you would be glad to that it can let you snap a screen on your iPhone with just a quick tap. But there is one downside you need to keep in mind. For this functionality, you will need to turn the AssistiveTouch into a dedicated screenshot tool. That means you can’t use this Accessibility feature for other actions.
- Now, tap the Single-Tap action located under the Custom Actions section and choose Screenshot.
That’s done! From now onwards, all you need to do to capture a screen on your iOS device is to hit the AssistiveTouch icon. Pretty handy, isn’t it? Have a look at the GIF below!
Take a Screenshot on iPhone With Back Tap Feature
First introduced in iOS 14, the Back Tap feature is designed to let you perform many common tasks such as launching apps, invoking Siri, bringing up Notification Center, and even capturing screenshots on iPhone with double-tap or triple-tap gestures. Do note that Back Tap supports only iPhone 8 or later.
- Next, choose Double Tap or Triple Tap and choose Screenshot.
Going forward, you can double/triple tap on the back of your iPhone to capture a screenshot.
Take an iPhone Screenshot with Your Voice
Apart from letting you control your smart home devices and answer queries, Siri can also let you take a screenshot on your iPhone. So, if you ever wish to grab a screen, invoke Siri and say something like, “Take a screenshot”. The virtual assistant will instantly snap the screen.
Take Scrolling Screenshots on iPhone (iOS)
iOS comes with a hidden tool that can let you take a scrolling screenshot on your iPhone. For those unaware, scrolling screenshots consist of multiple screens of images/text that appears in a single frame, thereby making it more convenient for you to scroll through them. It can come in pretty handy in multiple situations like sharing an entire article, sending a long Twitter thread to your friend, saving your flight ticket as a PDF, or even sharing a lengthy presentation.
- Next up, tap Done at the top left corner of the screen and choose the “Save to Files” option in the popup. After that, save the file to the preferred location.
Use Third-Party Apps to Capture Scrolling Screenshots on iPhone
If you need more manual control for taking scrolling screenshots on iOS, I would recommend you check out Picsew (free, in-app purchases) or Tailor (free, in-app purchases). They are easy to use and allow to snap scrolling screenshots with the desired control. Though steps are almost the same for both apps, I’m going to walk you through the steps using Tailor.
Now, head over to the content that you want to share and then take overlapping screenshots. With an overlapping screenshot, I mean keeping the end of the first screenshot at the start of the second to help the app merge them.
Next, launch Tailor, and the app will automatically recognize the screenshots and stitch them into a long screenshot. After that, tap the Share button and then either save it to the desired location or share it with friends using a preferred app.
How to Edit Screenshots on iPhone
iOS comes with a ton of handy tools to let you edit your screenshots. For instance, you can add a signature, take advantage of a magnifier to highlight certain parts, adjust opacity, or even scribble on the screenshot.
Once you have captured the screenshot, tap on the thumbnail to access the editing tools. Alternately, navigate to the Photos app -> Albumps -> Screenshots to find the screenshot that you want to edit. Then, tap the Edit button at the top right and hit the Markup icon.
Now, you use a variety of pencils to scribble on your screenshot. To add description, text, signature, or magnify specific parts, tap the “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen and then select the preferred option.
To fine-tune colors, tap the colors icon at the bottom and then customize the grid, spectrum, or sliders as per your needs. In the end, make sure to tap Done at the top right to confirm the changes.
Drag and Drop Screenshots on iPhone
With iOS 15, you can drag and drop images and text across apps. Even though cross-app drag and drop has existed on iPad since 2017, Apple has introduced it in the latest iteration of iOS to let you move files and images from one place to another with ease.
- Make sure to press and hold the screenshot until the white frame around it disappears. After that, use another finger to tap the app you want to drop the screenshot in. Then, drop the image to the desired location.
