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Ceri-anne
Ceri-anne

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iOS Simulator Screen Recording

Recording a video of the simulator used to be a bit clunky - either using the command line via simctl or other software such as Quicktime. Thankfully it's now much easier!

Screen Recording in Xcode

Above the simulator is a toolbar which includes a button to take a screenshot:

Xcode Simulator Toolbar with screenshot button

In the File menu there is an option to Record Screen.

Record screen option

Selecting this option, or pressing Command + R, starts recording the simulator. The screenshot button changes to a stop recording button.

Xcode Simulator Toolbar with screenshot button

When you've finished the task you want to record, simply tap the stop button. A preview will show on screen briefly and then the recording will be saved to your Desktop as an mp4.

Screen Recording Preview

Additional Options

While the preview is on screen you can also right click and choose other options including Save as Animated GIF.

Screen Recording Preview Menu

(TIP: to play the GIF, locate in Finder and then press the spacebar).

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