10 Screenshot Hacks Every iPhone User Should Know

Aug 15, 2026 03:00 AM - 2 hours ago 1
Pranay Parab is an independent tech journalist based successful Mumbai, India. He covers tech for Lifehacker, and specializes successful tutorials and in-depth features.

While the Mac has the best screenshot tools of immoderate Apple device, it's not rather the aforesaid communicative connected iPhone. Your iOS instrumentality is mostly restricted to built-in devices for taking screenshots and surface recordings, which makes it difficult to bypass apps that artifact those features. Having said that, your iPhone's screenshot instrumentality is thing but basic, supporting editing, annotations, and moreover extracting matter from images. If you want to return amended screenshots connected iOS, these 10 hacks tin help.

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Use AssistiveTouch to return screenshots without pressing immoderate buttons

I've ever recovered it unintuitive to return screenshots utilizing hardware buttons connected a instrumentality pinch a touchscreen. There are 2 easy ways to debar pressing those buttons to return screenshots. The first 1 relies connected a virtual Home button, which you tin alteration by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch. From here, alteration AssistiveTouch to adhd a virtual Home fastener to your iPhone. Next, pat Customize Top Level Menu, then, if you're only willing successful utilizing this action for screenshots, trim the number of icons from six to 1 by tapping the minus button. From here, pat the remaining icon connected this settings page. Go to Device > Screenshot, and pat the bluish checkmark successful the top-right corner. The adjacent clip you pat the virtual Home button, your iPhone will instantly return a screenshot.

The 2nd method uses Back Tap, an iOS characteristic that triggers various actions erstwhile you physically pat the backmost of your iPhone. You tin alteration this by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. Select either Double Tap aliases Triple Tap, and spell to Device > Screenshot. I urge picking Triple Tap to debar accidental screenshots. Once you alteration this, pat the backmost of your telephone thrice to return screenshots.

Use this motion to adhd almanac events straight from a screenshot

Flight position connected an iPhone.
Credit: Pranay Parab

When personification sends you a screenshot of a ticket, aliases if you've saved an image that mentions a day aliases time, you tin adhd it to your almanac pinch a hidden iOS feature. Once you unfastened the screenshot, pat the mini Live Text fastener successful the bottom-right corner. (Its icon has 3 horizontal lines surrounded by dotted borders.) This will uncover a day aliases clip successful the bottom-left area of the screenshot. Tap that button, and you'll spot a caller page wherever you tin quickly adhd the arena to your calendar. Sometimes, you whitethorn spot a "More" fastener adjacent to the identified day aliases time. This appears erstwhile location are aggregate dates successful a screenshot, and you tin pat "More" to prime the correct 1 for your almanac entry. Your iPhone tin besides place formation numbers successful screenshots and show you the existent position of that flight.

Use 'Copy and Delete' to stock screenshots without redeeming them to Photos

This is 1 of the champion features for group who want to debar piling up useless screenshots successful their photograph libraries. Once you seizure a screenshot connected your iPhone, pat the thumbnail to unfastened the screenshot editor page, and pat the checkmark icon successful the top-right corner. Here, you tin prime "Copy and Delete" to prevention the screenshot to your clipboard and delete it from your device. You tin now paste it successful different apps, specified arsenic Mail, Messages, aliases WhatsApp. Goodbye, clutter.

Use the Live Text instrumentality to extract matter from screenshots

Your iPhone comes pinch a powerful matter extraction instrumentality that lets you transcript matter from images. Just return a screenshot, pat the thumbnail successful the bottom-left corner, and deed the Live Text button successful the bottom-right corner. This instrumentality instantly identifies each kinds of matter successful an image, and, from there, you tin prime and transcript it easily.

Hold the surface to tie symmetrical shapes successful annotations

When I'm annotating a screenshot, I'll often tie a speedy squiggle to item thing to others who'll position it. Since I'm nary Picasso, my attempts astatine drafting a circle (or immoderate different shape) complete an constituent successful the screenshot look hopelessly amateur. Fortunately, iOS has a characteristic that allows you to move your squiggles into regular shapes. Try this: Draw your champion estimation of a circle, rectangle, square, aliases different style connected a screenshot. Immediately after, clasp the screen, and iOS will person your drafting into a neat symmetrical shape.

Use opaque shapes to securely hide delicate accusation successful screenshots

Correctly hiding delicate accusation successful screenshots.
Credit: Pranay Parab

I've seen measurement excessively galore screenshots pinch poorly hidden bits of delicate information. When group do this utilizing an iPhone, they often usage the pen instrumentality aliases moreover the highlighter to hide email addresses, telephone numbers, aliases names. It's amazingly easy to bypass these methods for those successful the know, leaving your info vulnerable. If you're trying to securely hide info successful an image, usage opaque shapes instead. It's a built-in instrumentality connected your iPhone that hides accusation thoroughly, and is overmuch faster than scribbling complete matter hundreds of times. When you return a screenshot, unfastened the image via its thumbnail, and pat the pen icon up top. Hit the + fastener successful the bottom-right corner, and pat Add Shape. Choose immoderate style you like, and pat the first circle successful the popover paper to adhd immoderate color. This will make it an opaque shape. Now, resistance this style complete delicate accusation and prevention the image.

Use this automation to delete unwanted screenshots

Deleting a bunch of screenshots by manus is simply a pain. However, you tin usage Apple's Shortcuts app to create an automation to do the occupation for you. The basal logic down this automation is to find each photos that are screenshots taken successful a circumstantial clip period, and delete them successful 1 shot. For astir people, this will activity arsenic a periodic cleanup instrumentality that deletes precocious taken screenshots. As an example, you tin usage it to delete each screenshots taken successful the past 30 days. I've created a sample shortcut for you to follow. You tin modify it to suit your needs, but if you usage it arsenic is, it'll find and delete each screenshots from the past month. It does inquire for confirmation earlier deleting screenshots, and moreover aft it's done, you tin still retrieve photos from the Recently Deleted folder.

What do you deliberation truthful far?

Disable thumbnails to extremity accidental screenshots

This mightiness beryllium really screenshots activity connected your iPhone: You return a screenshot, and the instrumentality shows a thumbnail successful the bottom-left corner. This disappears successful a fewer seconds, and saves the screenshot to your library. If you accidentally return a screenshot and don't pat the thumbnail accelerated enough, you'll person to manually delete the screenshot from your library. If this bothers you, past I urge enabling full-screen screenshot previews. That way, the infinitesimal you return a screenshot (accidental aliases not), you'll spot a preview, and you tin determine if you want to support the image.

Apple has since changed this default, truthful there's a chance your screenshots now unfastened successful full-screen already. However, if your iPhone is still moving pinch the thumbnail method, you tin group this up by going to Settings > General > Screen Capture and enabling Full-Screen Previews.

Enable microphone audio signaling to create screencasts

iPhone surface signaling pinch microphone on.
Credit: Pranay Parab

In summation to screenshots, you tin return surface recordings of your iPhone arsenic well. There are galore uses for this, but 1 of the champion is to create a screencast. I usage this often to thief my parents lick tech problems. You tin besides adhd microphone audio to these screencasts to make them moreover much useful, and to debar signaling a voiceover separately. To do this, unfastened Control Center by swiping down from the top-right area of the screen. In lawsuit you don't spot the surface signaling fastener here, you tin adhd it by tapping the + fastener successful the top-left corner, and selecting Add a Control > Screen Recording.

Hold the surface signaling fastener until you spot a pop-up menu. Tap the "Microphone Off" button, and it'll alteration to Microphone On. Tap Start Recording, hold for 3 seconds, and the surface signaling will begin. You tin now commencement speaking, and your sound will beryllium a portion of your surface recording.

Use this shortcut to disable surface seizure sounds and previews

If you want to return screenshots pinch maximum efficiency, effort Screenshot, a screenshot shortcut I recovered connected Reddit. This shortcut bypasses each screenshot previews and seizure sounds, and instantly saves your screenshot to a room of your choice. Once you instal this shortcut, reappraisal its steps, and prime an medium for your screenshot. (It drops your screenshots successful the Recents medium by default, which whitethorn not beryllium perfect for everyone.) From here, unfastened Control Center, pat the + button, prime Add a Control > Shortcut. Now prime the Screenshot shortcut, and you're bully to go. The adjacent clip you want to seizure a screenshot arsenic accelerated arsenic possible, tally this shortcut from the Control Center, and you'll announcement that it's the slightest intrusive screenshot workflow. You could moreover nexus this shortcut to Back Tap gestures for moreover faster access.

Pranay Parab is an independent tech journalist based successful Mumbai, India. He covers tech for Lifehacker, and specializes successful tutorials and in-depth features.

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