Capturing your screen lets you keep its contents to edit and share. Wayne Williams explains how to record anything you see, hear and do on your PC, phone, tablet and other devices
There are lots of free tools you can use to record audio and video from the web when you’re on your PC or Mac, many of which we covered in ‘Record All Video and Radio’. But you’re just as likely to want to record something that’s happening on your phone, tablet or other device,such as a game, conversation or screencast. Fortunately, this is a lot easier than you’d think.
In this feature, we reveal the best ways to capture and share content on whatever device you have to hand. Over the following six pages, we’ll show you how to record and play back your phone calls, capture live video from a webcam, record and edit games you’re playing on your Xbox, save radio broadcasts to your phone, record activity on a Chromebook, install and use secret screen-capture apps on iOS and Android, and much more.
Phones and Tablets
Record and play back your phone calls
There are times when it’s useful to record a phone conversation, such as when you speaking to a company’s customer service department. There are various apps that can do this. For Android, try Call Recorder – Boldbeast (bit.ly/boldbeast372). This can record both sides of a call, but it doesn’t work on some Android phones, including the Nexus 5 and 6, unless you root the device. However, it’s been proven to record without rooting on many other handsets, including the Moto G, Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M8 and M9.
If you want to record calls on your iPhone, try the app Call Recording by NoNotes.com (bit.ly/nonotes372). This records the call and saves it online. The free version limits you to 20 minutes of recording a month, with the option to buy more time.
See ‘Is it legal to record phone calls?’ (below) for more about this topic.
IS IT LEGAL TO RECORD PHONE CALLS?
Perhaps surprisingly, especially when you consider the warnings on customer helplines saying “this call may be recorded for monitoring and training purposes”, it is perfectly legal to record your telephone conversations, whether on your landline, mobile phone or via Skype. That’s according to telecommunications regulator Oftel (bit.ly/oftel372), which says: “the relevant law does not prohibit individuals from recording their own communications provided that the recording is for their own use”. The “for their own use” is the key part here, because if you share the recording with a third party, then you will be breaking the law.
If you’re recording the conversation for personal use, you don’t even need to let the other person in the conversation know that you’re doing so. Unless, as we’ve said, you plan to make the recording available to someone else.
Record your Android screen without rooting
You can record any activity on your Android device, including the games you play, using Mobizen (www.mobizen.com). You don’t have to root your phone; just tap the Record button, then use the button that appears on-screen to start capturing the action. The app also offers real-time mirroring on your PC, which means you can capture app action from your Desktop.
Record voice notes on your mobile device
Both iOS and Android have built-in voice-recording apps that you can use to record notes on your phone or tablet. Android’s app is called Sound Recorder. Launch the app, tap the red Record button and start speaking. You can access your notes in the Recording file list.
The iOS Voice Memos app works in the same way. Recent recordings appear at the bottom of the app; just tap one to play it back.
Record audio without long pauses
If you’re recording your thoughts, or other voice notes such as instructions, the chances are you’ll have to pause every so often while you think of what to say next. Record That Note for Android (bit.ly/recordnote372) automatically pauses recording when there’s no sound, and resumes when you start speaking again. You’ll need to enable the Sensitive Level Recording (SLR) option in the app’s settings.
Record radio broadcasts on your phone
If you’re not able to listen to your favourite show on streaming radio, then Audials Radio (bit.ly/audials372) will let you record it on your Android device in MP3 format. This easy-to-use free app has more than 63,000 streaming stations to choose from, and now supports Google Chromecast, so you can stream broadcasts to your TV.
Save YouTube videos to Android
Want to watch your favourite YouTube videos on your phone or tablet without Wi-Fi, and without using your mobile data connection? It sounds impossible, but thanks to TubeMate YouTube Downloader, it’s actually very straightforward. This free app lets you save videos directly to your device. Go to m.tubemate.net on your phone or tablet and download TubeMate from one of the recommended sites. You’ll need to sideload the app – go to Settings, Security and enable the option to allow installation from Unknown Sources. Once installed, you can browse YouTube videos to save directly in the app.
Save YouTube videos to iOS devices
There are several iOS apps you can use to download YouTube videos for offline viewing, but our favourite is Video Downloader Lite Super – Vdownload (bit.ly/vdownload372). It may not have the catchiest name, but it lets you save videos from all the major steaming sites and supports all the popular video formats.
Record videos from iPhone to YouTube
YouTube Capture (www.youtube.com/capture) is an iPhone app from Google that lets you record and edit videos on your phone (with an optional soundtrack) and upload the result to YouTube. Oddly, Google hasn’t yet released YouTube Capture for Android.
Record karaoke versions of songs from YouTube
Yokee (www.yokee.tv) is a fun iOS and Android app that lets you sing along to songs on YouTube and record the results. It uses auto-tuning to improve your voice and lets you share the results. Although the app itself is free, you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium version to save your karaoke performances, which costs £2.29 a week. Installing another free app from the company will give you one recording credit.
Change how your voice sounds
If you want to disguise your voice, play a prank on someone or you just don’t like how your voice sounds when it’s recorded, install the Android app Change Voice & Record Sounds (bit.ly/changevoice372). It lets you record yourself, then manipulate the audio, applying a range of silly effects including Radio, Angry Wife, Baby, Pirate and Echo. You can also apply these effects to your voice in real time. The only drawback is that the app occasionally displays annoying full-screen adverts.
Record your screen on iOS without jailbreaking
Apple doesn’t allow certain types of apps on iOS, including screen recorders, and you can usually only get them by jailbreaking your device, which many people won’t be keen on, because it can ‘brick’ your phone or tablet (render it useless). To get around this, browse the Emu4iOS Store (emu4ios.net) on your device. You’ll see a selection of screen recorders, which you can install with a single tap. You didn’t read it here, though!
Record Periscope and Meerkat streams
As we explained Periscope and Meerkat let you watch live streaming video, but there’s no obvious way of saving the streams to watch offline or at a more convenient time. On an iPhone, you can record the streams using Shou, which you can get through the Emu4iOS Store mentioned above. You’ll need to record the streams in a quiet room because Shou will also pick up external sounds and any notifications you receive while recording.
Record video at 60fps on iPhone
By default, the iPhone records video at 30 frames per second (fps), but if you own an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can double this to 60fps. Open Settings and go to ‘Photos & Camera’. You’ll see an option to ‘Record Video at 60 FPS’. Toggle this switch to on. When you record a video, you’ll see a 60 FPS badge indicating the higher frame rate. Bear in mind that videos recorded at this rate will be much larger.
Record Hangouts and Skype calls on Android
If you want a record of video calls you make from your mobile device using Google Hangouts or Microsoft Skype, try Recordable (bit.ly/recordable372). This free screen recorder for Android doesn’t require rooting, although it will add a watermark to your recordings. There’s a £5.50 paid-for version if you want to record without this mark and in better quality. Install the app on your Android device, then install the Desktop program on your PC (recordable.mobi/install) and follow the on-screen instructions.
Record stable timelapse videos on Android
Microsoft’s new Hyperlapse tool (aka.ms/hyperlapse) turns firstperson videos into smooth timelapses. We’ve included the PC version in this month’s Best Free Software, but it’s also available as an early preview app for Android. Hyperlapse doesn’t currently work on every make and model of phone, but support for new devices is slowly being added. You can get more details from bit.ly/hyperlapsegoogle372.
Record messages for your future self
Tomorrow (bit.ly/tomorrow372) is an interesting iPhone app that lets you record notes for listening to the next day. These can be reminders, or inspiring and important messages. Once recorded, notes are locked away and can only be listened to the following day. They will be deleted the day after, whether you listened to them or not.
Record videos without anyone seeing
There may be a time when you want to record video on your phone, without anyone knowing you’re doing it, for example if someone is being physically or verbally abusive to you. The new iPhone app Witness (getwitness.co) is described as a “panic button for the smartphone age”. When activated, it alerts your emergency contacts, recording and streaming what’s happening without showing anything on screen. You currently need to request an invite to try Witness.
PC and Mac
Capture video from your webcam
There are many reasons why you might want to record what you’re doing on your webcam, such as capturing a Skype video call for posterity or monitoring the room while you pop out for a while.
One of the best ways to grab footage from a camera connected to your PC is to use the brilliant Debut Video Capture Software (bit.ly/debut372). This powerful program is free for noncommercial use and can record video from your webcam directly to your hard drive. The software can save the video in all the popular formats, including AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG and MOV; and at different resolutions and frame rates – obviously, the better the video quality, the larger the file size.
Debut Video Capture can record everything that’s on your screen, with audio, if you want to save both ends of a Skype call, or focus on a specific window. It even has a time-lapse mode for capturing webcam footage at set intervals, and lets you schedule recordings to begin at a time of your choice.
During installation, the website warns that you may be offered extra tools from the same company, so make sure you decline them (we didn’t actually see any offers).
Record, annotate and narrate a screencast
YouTube has lots of useful how-to videos in which people demonstrate specific tasks and tricks you can carry out on your computer. If you’d like to contribute your own PCbased video guides – or screencasts, as they’re properly called – install the free program Ezvid (www.ezvid.com). This excellent video editor and slideshow creator lets you record on-screen activity to create screencasts up to 45 minutes long. You can include a voiceover or keep your film silent or, if you’re feeling shy, the program can read out your text to save you recording your own voice. You can add doodles to what’s onscreen using Ezvid’s drawing tool and stamps, and upload your finished screencasts directly to YouTube.
Record and keep any streaming audio
Whether you like to listen to music on Spotify, Soundcloud or another streaming service, Apowersoft’s Free Online Audio Recorder (bit.ly/apowersoft372) can capture any audio that’s playing on your device so you can listen to it offline. Just start playing the track you want and click the Record button. Captured audio can be converted to various formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG and WAV , and there’s a scheduled-tasks option that lets you start and finish recording at set times.
You can choose between the Java-based web application (which works in most browsers) or the downloadable version of Free Online Audio Recorder for Windows and Mac OS X. The usual caveats about sharing copyrighted content apply (that is, don’t do it!).
Capture your thoughts using OneNote
Microsoft OneNote (www.onenote.com) is a great free web-clipping and note-taking tool that’s now available for all platforms, from Windows and Mac to iOS and Android. You can clip content from web pages; add notes, photos and sketches; and record audio and video directly in the tool, which is handy for making voice notes or recording speeches. Microsoft recently added audio recording to the Mac version, which for some reason didn’t have it previously.
Record what’s on your screen in Chrome OS
If you have a Chromebook or Chromebox, you won’t be able to install many of the popular screen-recording programs, but that doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the fun of capturing content. Instead, you can use the fantastic free tool Screencastify (www.screencastify.com) to record what’s happening in any Chrome tab, on your Desktop or through your webcam or microphone. The recordings can be saved directly to Google Drive and shared on YouTube, so you can access them from anywhere.
Screencastify works in any version of the Chrome browser, so you can use it on both PC and Mac. Just click the toolbar button and select Start Recording, or go into the add-on’s Options to choose keyboard shortcuts to control the capturing process. You can also specify your preferred resolution and frame rate, and whether to include the mouse cursor in your recordings.
Schedule radio recordings
If you’re always missing your favourite radio shows, because they’re on in the middle of the night or when you’re at work, you can schedule StreamWriter (streamwriter.org) to record them without you needing to be at your PC. This free program can capture multiple streams at the same time, and has a clever tool that automatically records songs from your wishlist whenever it detects them playing in a web stream.
Record everything you do on your PC
ActivePresenter (atomisystems.com) records exactly what’s happening on your screen, which is useful if you have a PC problem that you want to show someone (or vice versa), and can also be used as a means of capturing streaming video. You can record the entire screen, just a portion of it or a particular application; and edit the video afterwards, adding narration, captions, screenshots and so on. The free edition has a few restrictions, such as only saving recordings in WMV, AVI, MPEG4 and WebM format, but unlike similar tools, there’s no time limit and it doesn’t impose a watermark on videos.
Games consoles
Capture and edit gameplay on your Xbox One
Game recording is integral to Microsoft’s games console. To record something, just say “Xbox, record that” and the console will grab the last 30 seconds of action (it also automatically stores the previous five minutes). To edit the video, you’ll need to download the free Upload Studio app from the Xbox store, which will also allow you to share the finished footage.
Record and edit video on the PS4
It’s very easy to capture gameplay on Sony’s new console. Just start playing your game and the PlayStation 4 will automatically record the action in the background. When you’re done, hit the Share button on your game controller, select Video Upload in the menu that appears and choose the clip you want from the list (clips are 15 minutes or less in duration). You can edit the clip and, once you’re happy with it, share it on Facebook.