Will A User Know If You Screen Record Their TikTok Video?

It’s not always easy to stay anonymous on social media platforms, including TikTok.

For example, TikTok users can see who’s liked and commented on their videos. They can see the identities of both their followers and many of the people who have viewed their TikTok profile in the last 30 days.

Some info, though, is protected on TikTok. Content creators won’t know if you’ve watched, bookmarked, downloaded, or reposted their video; all they can see is the raw number of times those actions have been taken.

They won’t know if you’ve made a screen recording of their TikTok content, either. The system has no way to detect when screen recording is happening on the app, so it’s possible to record TikTok posts that way (and take screen grabs of photos or video images) without detection.

In fact, it’s easy to do.

How To Make a TikTok Screen Recording

Both Androids (Android version 11 or later) and iPhones (iOS version 11 and later) let you activate screen recording directly on your phone. The processes are different, though.

For iPhones

These are general, step-by-step instructions for the latest iPhones. Some iOS versions may have the screen recording function located in a different area of an iPhone’s “Settings” area.

1. Open the TikTok app.
2. Go to “Settings” on your phone, scroll down, and tap on “Control Center.”
3. Look through the Control panel for the “Screen Recording” option. If it’s there, you’re all good. If not, find the “More Controls,” option, click on it, and tap “+” next to “Screen Recording” to make it functional on your phone. (On older iOS versions, you may have to drag your finger down from the top right corner of the Control Center screen to open the full Control Panel.)
4. Go back to TikTok and find the video you want to record from the app.
5. Return to the phone’s Control Center, tap the grey record button, and then the microphone icon.
6. Click “Start Recording.” There will be a three-second countdown, after which your screen recording will begin. If you want a clean recording, count to three as you return to TikTok and start the video when you reach “three.” Stay on the TikTok page, or the video won’t fully record.
7. When you’ve finished recording, tap the red status bar (at the top of the screen in the iPhone Control Center) and your video will be saved to your camera reel.

For Android Phones

Once again, these instructions are for the latest versions of Android phones. You may have to search a bit if you have an older phone.

1. Open TikTok on your phone.
2. Swipe down from the top of your phone’s screen to open the “Quick Settings” menu. Some users may have to swipe down twice to access the full menu.
3. If you see the “Screen recorder” icon, tap it. If it isn’t in your menu, you can add it by clicking the (+) icon and dragging the “Screen recorder” icon onto your main Quick Settings menu before tapping it.
4. Choose your preferred audio recording option: no audio, the phone’s microphone, or “media sounds” directly from the source video.
5. Click “Start recording.” The three-second countdown will give you time to go back to TikTok and start the video playing.
6. To finish recording, hit the red “Recording” icon on your Quick Settings screen. The screen recording can be found on your camera reel.

Remember, though, that screen recording from any social app should only be for personal use; you don’t own the video or any rights to it just by recording it. It’s not only bad form, but also potentially illegal, to use a recorded video for personal gain or nefarious purposes.