How to take a screenshot on an Android smartphone

(Pocket-lint) – There are a few different ways to take a screenshot on an Android phone depending on the model you own. It’s usually really simple to take a screenshot with your smartphone, unless you’re using an app that specifically prevents it, such as a banking app or something with copyrighted material like Netflix.  You can usually take screenshots with a few button presses, some simple screen gestures or with your voice.

We’re rounding up some of the ways to do it. 

Screenshot with a button combination

On the majority of Android smartphones you can quickly and easily take a screenshot with just a couple of quick button presses. This works on most phones too, so it’s really easy. 

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  • Unlock your phone and open whatever you want to screenshot
  • Press both the power button and the volume down button at the same time
  • You should then hear a sound and see a notification that a screenshot has been taken

Usually, a pop-up appears at the bottom of the screen when you’ve taken a screenshot this way and you then have the option to edit the image directly, click to share or crop the image and save it.  Note if you find that this button combination doesn’t work then it might be a slightly different combination that works on your phone:

  • On older Samsung phones press the power and home buttons at the same time to take a screenshot
  • Try swiping down from the top of your phone, you might see a screenshot button in the notification shade

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How to take a screenshot on an Android smartphone photo 2

How to take a longer screenshot on Android

Sometimes when you’re taking a screenshot you might want to take a longer one in order to screenshot more of the screen than is visible without scrolling.

If you follow the steps above to grab a screenshot and you see the notification that one has been taken you will also see a button that says “capture more”.  Click that button and it will grab a longer screenshot of the page or app you’re looking at. This saves taking multiple screenshots and allows you to send or save a single file for whatever you need it for. 

How to take a screenshot with your voice

It’s also possible to take a screenshot with your voice using Google Assistant. 

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Google Assistant is a handy device for doing all sorts of things, even basic tasks like taking a screenshot. So if you like to boss your device around with your voice then this is the perfect opportunity for such things.  To do so:

  • Activate Google Assistant
  • Say “Hey Google, take a screenshot”
  • Watch for the notification that the screenshot has happened
  • Use the motivation to share, edit or crop the screenshot as needed

Note that you’ll need Google Assistant to be ready to accept voice commands.

So if it doesn’t work be sure to follow these steps. 

Take a screenshot with a gesture

Some phones allow you to take screenshots with gestures or actions.  The best way to find out if these are possible is to head into your settings:

  • Go to your phone’s settings
  • Search for gestures
  • Under the gesture controls look for screenshots
  • Activate any that are possible

On Samsung smartphones, you might see the option to use a palm swipe gesture to capture a screenshot. Swipe your hand across the screen and it will trigger a screenshot. 

On some Huawei phones you’ll find the option to knock on your screen instead:

  • Go to system settings
  • Check for accessibility features
  • Tap on shortcuts and gestures
  • Click on take screenshot and turn on Knuckle screenshots

You can then take a screenshot by gently tapping on your phone screen twice. 

How to take a screenshot on a Google Pixel phone

There are a number of ways to take a screenshot on your Google Pixel smartphone. Alongside the standard button combinations and Google Assistant you can also do it from the recent apps screen. 

  • With the app open that you want to screenshot swipe up from the bottom of the screen
  • With the recent apps page visible look for the screenshot button below the relevant app
  • Tap that screenshot button to capture the image
  • Edit or share your screenshot as needed

How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi and Poco phones

There are other gesture controls you can use on devices like Xiaomi and Poco smartphones that run on MIUI software. As standard, this includes a simple three-fingered gesture which will easily capture a screenshot.

Swipe your three fingers down from the top of the screen at the same time to capture an image.  If this doesn’t work you may need to check in the settings to ensure it’s activated:

  • Head over to your phone’s system settings
  • Find and access additional settings
  • Tap on button shortcuts
  • Select take a screenshot and tweak the settings

From there you can change the gestures for this action to include simple things like pressing and holding the home, menu or back buttons on your phone. 

How to take a screenshot on a OnePlus phone

Like some of the other phones on this list it’s possible to take a screenshot on a OnePlus phone with a gesture too.  To do so swipe down from the top of the screen with three fingers at the same time.

You should then see the same screenshot notification as normal.

If not then you can check settings:

  • Go to your phone settings
  • Tap on buttons and gestures
  • Click on quick gestures
  • Adjust the settings in there to enable the gesture screenshot

Writing by Adrian Willings.

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