How to Show Taps and Touches in iPhone Screen Recordings

Before you start

The iPhone screen recorder does not show touches by default. To make each tap or gesture visible in the recorded video, turn on the touch indicator provided by AssistiveTouch. This changes how touches appear on the device while recording and takes effect immediately. The recording itself is still created locally through the built-in screen recording control in Control Center.

Make sure the screen recording button is already available in Control Center. You can check under Settings, then Control Center, and add Screen Recording if it is not listed in the included controls. Also verify that the apps or screens you plan to record are ready, because the touch indicator will appear wherever you tap while the recording is active.

Step-by-step instructions

The main procedure is to enable the AssistiveTouch touch indicator, then start a normal screen recording. In supported iOS versions, the indicator is shown as a circle or dot that follows the point of contact, and it is included in the captured video.

• Open Settings.
• Tap Accessibility.
• Tap Touch.
• Tap AssistiveTouch.
• Turn on AssistiveTouch.
• Look for the option that controls the touch indicator or tap visibility and enable it. The exact wording may differ by iOS version, but it is usually called something like Show Touch or Touch Indicator.
• Return to the Home Screen and open Control Center.
• Tap the Screen Recording button and begin recording.
• Perform the taps or gestures you want to demonstrate.
• Stop the recording from Control Center or from the status bar.

AssistiveTouch also adds a floating menu button to the screen. In some versions the menu button may appear in the recording, so position it away from the main area if you want the video to look clean. The touch indicator is separate from that menu button.

The setting is reversible. You can return to the same AssistiveTouch screen and turn off the touch indicator or AssistiveTouch itself after recording.

Check the output

Open Photos and play the new video. Confirm that a visible mark appears at each intentional tap while you move through the recorded sequence. Check that the indicator is large enough to see and that it does not overlap the important controls you are demonstrating.

Screen recordings can be long files, especially at higher resolutions. If the video will be edited or shared, watch a short segment with fast taps to verify that the indicator remains visible rather than only checking the first few seconds.

Common problems and next steps

When the recording shows no touches, the usual cause is that only AssistiveTouch was switched on, but the separate touch indicator was not enabled. Open the AssistiveTouch settings again and confirm that both controls are active, then record a short test clip.

If the indicator stops showing on certain screens, check whether another accessibility feature or a guided access session is changing touch behavior. Some secure screens also limit what can be captured, which affects the whole recording rather than only the touch mark.

To make future recordings easier to follow, keep gestures slow enough for viewers to see, pause briefly before each tap, and avoid covering key interface elements with your finger. If the built-in indicator is too small for a tutorial, edit the video afterward to add a larger visual cue over the relevant points.