There’s one thing I like about the current smartphone technology- Screenshots! Agree or not, you were at some point in time enticed towards saving or recording that beautiful shot, but discovering you couldn’t, had felt disappointed. Though there are a multitude of third-party apps which let you save what you see on the screen to your phone storage, screenshotting has its own thing.
And for those who like to take screenshots often, whether it’s for fun or keeping notes sort of thing, here is what will prove helpful. In this article, we will share some ways you can screenshot on just about any smartphone.
TAKING SCREENSHOTS ON AN IPHONE
Since the day Apple introduced its first iPhone to the time it actually began ruling the smartphone marketspace, iPhones have been the first choice in terms of technology, design and the ease of use. If you are a proud owner of one of these beautiful display devices, here’s what you should know about screenshotting.
Depending on the device model which you own, you will need to follow some steps. Though the basic process for taking a screenshot remains the same for most, here are some insights to the same:
#1 Using the Volume Up Key and the Power Button
- Go to the screen which you wish to capture.
- Now, press the Volume Up key while simultaneously pressing the Power Button.
- Doing this will capture the screen content and a JPG or PNG format image will be saved to your device screenshots.
If you want to access the same, you can go to the device gallery and check the same in the Screenshots or Recents Album.
#2 Using the Assistive Touch feature
If you are looking to use the Assistive Touch feature on your iPhone to capture screenshots, you would need the same to be enabled. If it is not, you can do the same from the device settings.
Here is how you can do so:
- Go to the device “Settings”.
- Scroll down to find the “Accessibility” tab and tap on it.
- Under the “Accessibility” window, find the “Touch” option and tap on it.
- You will see the “Assistive Touch” option on the top of the screen among multiple other options listed.
- Tap on the toggle button next to the Assistive Touch field and it will turn green as shown.
- The “Assistive Touch” feature is now switched on.
- Proceed to the window or the content you wish to screenshot and tap on the semi-transparent square box that hovers on the screen.
- You will see the screenshot option in the box. Tap on it to take a screenshot.
When you are done, you can find the screenshot in the Recents Album or the Screenshots Album of your phone gallery.
SCREENSHOTS ON A SAMSUNG SMARTPHONE
If you have a smartphone from Samsung, it is easier for you to capture the content you love. With an abundance of third-party apps letting you capture the screen, you can even schedule screenshot captures. But we won’t speak much about that, for now, we’ll only share the inherent ways you can take a screenshot on your Samsung smartphone.
#1 Using the Volume Down Key and the Power Button
- Go to the screen which you wish to capture.
- Now, press the Volume Down key while simultaneously pressing the Power Button.
- Doing this will capture the screen content and a JPG or PNG format image will be saved to your device screenshots.
If you want to access the same, you can go to the device gallery and check the same in the Screenshots or Recents Album.
#2 Using Palm Swipe Hand Gesture
Another way you can capture your favorite content is by using hand gestures. Though this feature also existed in the older Samsung smartphone models, using it required manually turning it on. What we have today, the feature has been made automatic. If you were unaware of this, simply follow these steps:
- Go to the screen which you want to screenshot.
- Place your hand vertically on either side of your phone display so that the little finger and the base of the palm below it touches the phone display.
- Now, when you are ready, slide your hand to the other side of the screen.
This gesture will trigger a screenshot and the screen will flash while saving your captured screenshot in the device storage.
If you want to access the same, you can do so by going to the notification panel and tapping on the notification.
SCREENSHOTS ON OTHER ANDROID SMARTPHONES
For those who own an Android smartphone other than Samsung, there is always one method that works. Pressing either of the Volume key and the Power Button simultaneously will trigger the screenshot action every time. There can be different hand gestures for screenshotting across different devices and the UI they run on.
#1 Using the Volume Down Key and the Power Button
- Go to the screen which you wish to capture.
- Now, press the Volume Down key while simultaneously pressing the Power Button.
- Doing this will capture the screen content and a JPG or PNG format image will be saved to your device screenshots.
If you want to access the same, you can go to the device gallery and check the same in the Screenshots or Recents Album.
#2 Using Three-finger Swipe Down Gesture
On some android devices you can use the three finger swipe down feature, if available, to capture any screen you want. To perform this action, you can follow the steps:
- Go to the screen which you wish to capture.
- Use three of your fingers and place them on the top of your screen.
- Now, swipe them down to the bottom of the screen.
This gesture will trigger a screenshot and the screen will flash while saving your captured screenshot in the device storage. You can then head to the gallery and find the captured screenshot in the Recents window.
The final word
Apart from the methods shared in the article, you can also use third party apps to capture your screen, provided you trust the app developer and it has good ratings on the respective App store. If you know more ways to take screenshots on your smartphone, please share them in the comments box.
