How to Record Screen with External Audio on iPhone & iPad

Do you want to record external audio while you’re screen recording using your iPhone or iPad? This could come handy in multiple instances, like when you’re trying to record music that’s being played in the background or if you’re simply just making a tutorial using your device.

You’re probably aware of the built-in screen recording functionality within iOS, that was first introduced alongside the release of iOS 11 back in 2017. This allows users to record short clips of their screens and share them with other users for various purposes. However, you might not have noticed this hidden feature, which allows you to use the device’s internal microphone to record sound in your environment.

Interested in using your microphone while you’re recording your screen next time? Well, you’ve certainly come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be discussing exactly how you can record screen with external audio on both the iPhone & iPad.

How to Record Screen with External Audio on iPhone & iPad

Screen Recording is a feature that’s quickly accessible as a toggle in the Control Center for iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 or later. However, you’ll need to take a step further, in order to turn on your microphone for recordings. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the procedure.

1. If you’re using an iPad, iPhone X or newer iOS device, swipe down from the top-right edge of the screen to access the Control Center. However, if you’re using an iPhone with a home button, like the iPhone 8 or anything older, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

   

2. Here, you’ll notice the screen recording tool in the bottom section, below the brightness and volume controls. Long press on the screen recording icon to access more options. However, if you’re using a iPhone running iOS 11 or 12, you’ll have to force touch the icon instead.

   

3. Now, you’ll notice that the Microphone is turned off by default. Simply tap the icon to turn it on.

   

4. As you can see in the screenshot below, the microphone icon turns red once it’s enabled, indicating that it will record external audio.

   

That’s it, now you know how to record your iPhone or iPad screen with external audio.

With Microphone turned on, your iPhone will record the sound in the background, which could prove to be useful in more than one situation.

It’s worth noting here that you’re not exactly limited to the internal microphone on your iPhone and iPad. You could connect your earbuds and use the in-line microphone for external audio as well.

If you’re planning to record audio on a professional level, like for a podcast, movie or music production, audiobooks, or even making a YouTube tutorials, you could even connect an external microphone and use that as an audio source.

Do you use a Mac? If so, you might be interested in recording the screen of your MacBook or iMac too.

Screen Recording is a great feature in modern iOS and iPadOS releases. Up until iOS 11 came out, your best bet was to rely on a Mac to record the iPhone’s screen with QuickTime. Thanks to this built-in functionality, you can record your screen in a matter of seconds without having to rely on any third-party application, though you can still use QuickTime and other solutions too if you feel like it.

This obviously covers recording the screen with audio, but if you only want to record an audio track you can do that too using Voice Memos app.

Did you successfully record your iPhone and iPad screen with microphone enabled? What do you use this for? How do you feel about the screen recording functionality that’s baked into iOS and iPadOS? Do let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section down below.