How To Record The Screen On The Nexus 5

Android 4.4 KitKat arrived with the ability to record the screen. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s own Nexus 5 was the first smartphone that had the functionality to record the screen, but the process to do this might look complicated at first. Now, the good part is that this short guide is here to explain how to record the screen on your Nexus 5. There are two ways to do this: by using the ADB command and also by using an app if you’re on a rooted Nexus 5. So without any further talk, let’s get started.

Record the Screen On a Nexus 5 using the ADB command

This might look like a complex method if you haven’t familiarized yourself with the Android Debug Bridge command line tools. But don’t worry, you don’t need to learn how it works, and all you’ll need to do is to simply follow these instructions. Note that this method works even on non-rooted Nexus 5 devices.

Connect your device to your computer using the USB cable.
Install Android SDK on your computer (if you haven’t). Download it from here.
Now, enter the below ADB command in the command line and hit Enter.

adb shell screenrecord/sdcard/NAME.mp4.

Here, “Name” refers to the name that you want to give to the file and “sdcard” is the location of the file. When you’re done with the recording, press Control + C on your computer to stop the recording. You can now grab the recorded mp4 file from your Nexus 5.

Using the App method

If you don’t want to use the above method to record the screen, then that’s entirely okay. To some, the above method might look complicated, and that’s why there’s an easy to do that, provided you’re on a rooted Nexus 5. This method, unlike the ADB method, is very easy.

Rec. (Screen Recorder) is a screen recording app that provides access to the screen record utility introduced in Android 4.4 KitKat. There’s also a pro version of this app, but the free version allows you to record video up to 30 seconds. In most cases, even the free version will work great for many.

You just need to set your preferences first and then start recording. You’ll be able to see a countdown before the recording starts, and the progress will be displayed in the notification bar. When the recording is done, you can access the file via any File Explorer app, like ES File Explorer, for example. This app also records audio via the mic of your Android device, and it’s a great addition if you’re creating a tutorial and want to explain something.