Have you ever wanted to get an exact copy of what you're seeing on the screen of your iPhone or iPod touch? Whether you wanted it to get a record of someone's words or to illustrate something, it probably wasn't immediately obvious how you'd take an iPhone screenshot.
For the first year or so the iPhone was around, the only way to take an iPhone screenshot – that is, capture a picture of what was on your iPhone's screen – was with a camera or a third-party application.
With the introduction of iPhone Firmware 2.0, though, this changed. Firmware 2.0 added a screenshot feature that wasn’t widely publicized. Now, if you need to take an iPhone screenshot, you can do it by clicking two simple button.
These instructions work for all iOS devices--the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Here's How:
- Begin by getting whatever you want to take a screenshot of onto the screen of your iPhone or iPod touch. This could mean browsing to a particular website or simply getting to the right screen in one of your apps.
- When you've got the screen you want to capture displayed, first hold down the home button. Don't let it go or you'll just end up back on your homescreen, having lost the thing you wanted to take a screenshot of.
- While holding the home button down, press the on/off button at the top right of the iPhone or iPod touch. Just use a single click on the button; let it go right away.
- When you take your finger off the on/off button, the screen will flash white and there will be a sound like a camera shutter. This means you've successfully taken your iPod or iPhone screen capture.
- To view your new iPhone screenshot, go into the built-in Photos app and then tap on Camera Roll. In the Camera Roll, the most recent photo will be the screenshot you just took.
- Next time you sync your iPhone, you can sync the photo to the photo management software of your choice – be it iPhoto on a Mac or any of the various PC programs that sync with the iPhone. From there, you can manipulate your iPhone screenshot however you'd like in an image editing program.
- These instructions work on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. If you want to get a screenshot on an iPod other than a touch, though, you're out of luck. Because it runs the iOS, the iPod touch is the only iPod that has a built-in screenshot feature.
