iOS 26 introduces higher quality screen recordings for iPhone and iPad

For the first time, iOS 26 will let you record the screen of your iPad in its full resolution, resulting in higher-quality and better-looking screen captures.

Screen recording was first introduced with iOS 11, finally providing an easy way to capture what’s on your screen without using a computer. Since then, the resolution of those recordings has been limited to a maximum of 1920px in either height or width. This means that all modern iPhones have recorded at 884×1920, which on an iPhone 16 Pro Max is only about two-thirds the full resolution. This, of course, resulted in a low-res video that looked compressed and blurry.

With the latest beta of iOS 26, however, screen recordings have been upgraded to record in the full resolution of your device, resulting in a much clearer recording.

Comparison

Prior to this change, screen recordings on an iPhone 16 Pro Max were recorded at a resolution of 884×1920. Now with the latest beta of iOS 26, they are recorded at 1320×2868, which is its full screen resolution. This upgrade in resolution and quality is best shown through images:

Despite the increase in resolution, file sizes remain moderately similar. A 12-second screen recording of the same on-screen content was 24.2 MB on iOS 26 Beta 6, up only 5.3 MB from 18.9 MB on Beta 1.

Final thoughts

I for one am very happy to see screen recordings finally be captured at full resolution. I often use screen recordings during app development, and the lower quality can make it hard to see finer details.

In addition to these upgrades, iOS 26 will also bring several more new features to screenshots and screen recordings, such as the ability to record in HDR, an option to public beta and is expected to release in the coming weeks.

You can read our full iOS 26 roundup here.

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My favorite Apple accessories:

• Beats Pill
• MOFT MagSafe iPhone Stand
• Satechi Vegan Leather Desk Mat
• BenQ ScreenBar Pro
• AirPods Pro 3
• elago Magnetic iPad Stand
• TUMI Alpha Bravo Nomadic Backpack
• Apple 40W – 60W Charger