How to take a screenshot on iPhone and Xiaomi: full instructions

In today's digital world, information is shared instantly, and it's often necessary to capture exactly what's currently displayed on your device's screen, whether it's a screenshot on an iPhone or Xiaomi, this skill has become a basic skill for any smartphone user. However, despite its apparent simplicity, many gadget owners still get confused about keyboard combinations, especially if they've just switched from one operating system to another or changed the brand of the device.

Complicating matters, electronics manufacturers are adopting unique skins and interfaces that can be very different from each other. For example, the logic of iOS on Apple devices differs significantly from the approach of Xiaomi and their branded shell MIUI or the new HyperOS. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to create screenshots so that you can quickly save the necessary information, regardless of what brand you have a phone.

It's important to understand that there are alternatives to the standard buttons, such as voice control, body tapping, or using special menus, and knowing all of these will allow you to take screenshots even in situations where the physical buttons of the device are locked or malfunctioning. Let's move from theory to practice and look at specific algorithms for both popular brands.

Standard key combinations on Apple devices

Starting with the Cupertino-based company, where gesture and button management has been the same for generations, for example, to take a screenshot on an iPhone, Face ID models (without the physical Home button) need to press the lock button on the right and the volume button on the left simultaneously, and this action should be fast and clear, resembling a light click rather than a long clamping.

If you have an older model with a physical Home button at the bottom of the screen, the combination changes, you need to press the side lock button and the round home button, and the screen flashes a white flash, and you hear the characteristic sound of the camera shutter if the sound in the device is not turned off, at which point a thumbnail of the image will appear in the lower left corner.

• 📱 Models with Face ID: power-button + volume.
• 🏠 Models with Touch ID: power-button + home-button.
• 🔇 If there is no sound, check the silent mode.

It's worth noting that some versions of iOS can customize the action for the back of the smartphone, called "Touch Back," and lets you create screenshots by simply tapping the back of the iPhone with double or triple tapping, which is especially useful when using the device with one hand, when reaching for buttons on the end can be problematic.

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Configure the “Touch Back” function in Universal Access to take screenshots without using physical buttons.

Basic methods of creating screenshots on Xiaomi

Moving to the Android ecosystem and specifically to Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, we come across a more diverse set of tools. The standard and fastest way that works on most models, including budget series and flagships, is by pressing the power button and the volume button at the same time. Unlike the iPhone, it is more often used the "volume down" button.

Once you successfully execute the command, you will see a notification at the top of the screen, as well as a floating preview menu, characteristic of the MIUI shell. This menu allows you to immediately edit the image, overlay the picture or send it to the messenger without opening the gallery. If the standard combination does not work, it is possible that the settings of the system have changed the assignment of buttons or the game mode that blocks random clicks is enabled.

Another popular method that is often overlooked is swiping three fingers down the screen.This feature should be activated in the settings menu, but by default it is often enabled. Just swipe three fingers from the top of the display to the bottom, and the system instantly saves a copy of the current image to the clipboard and gallery.

Additional features and gestures in MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi's shell is famous for its functionality, and screenshots are not limited to just a few buttons. In the notification curtain, which is called by a top-down swipe, there's a separate Screenshot icon. By clicking on it, you get the same result as using physical keys. This is convenient if the buttons on the device's body are stiff or damaged.

For users who prefer voice control, Google Assistant or Xiao AI (which can be limited in global versions) is great. Just say the phrase "Ok Google, take a screenshot" or a similar command in Russian, and the phone will perform the request. This is ideal when hands are busy or the device is in an uncomfortable position.

Also worth mentioning is the ability to create long screenshots, which is a "killer-feature" for many users. After a normal screenshot, click the "Scroll" button (or the icon with arrows down) in the preview menu that appears. The phone will automatically scroll down the page, saving all the contents in one long picture, which is ideal for saving correspondence or articles.

• 🔻 Swipe down to call the curtain and select the icon.
• 🎤 Voice command for Google Assistant.
• 📜 The “Scroll” function for long pages.

Comparative table of methods for different devices

To structure the information and avoid confusion between different brands and models, we have developed a summary table that will help you quickly navigate which combination to use depending on which gadget you are holding right now.

As you can see from the table, Xiaomi’s Android logic is more flexible and offers more interaction options, while Apple takes a conservative but robust approach.

Where to look for saved images and how to manage them

Once a screenshot is taken, it automatically saves to the device gallery. On iPhone, these images are included in the album "Recent", and also duplicated in the special album "Screenshots", which allows you to filter them out from ordinary photos. In iOS 16 and later, it became possible immediately after you created a screenshot to copy it to the clipboard, simply holding your thumbnail and selecting the appropriate item, bypassing saving it to the gallery.

In Xiaomi smartphones, the file path is also standard: the Gallery app has a separate tab or an album called Screenshots. The Android file system allows you to find these images along the way. /Pictures/Screenshots or /DCIM/Screenshots, If you connect your phone to your computer through USB-This is convenient for mass processing of files or transferring them to the hard drive.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning your phone’s memory through standard tools, be careful not to accidentally delete important screenshots with codes or receipts, as they often take up a significant amount of space.

File management involves not only storage, but also editing. Built-in editors of both OSes allow you to cut edges, draw arrows, blur sensitive information (such as card numbers or passwords) and add text. On Xiaomi, the editor functionality is much wider and even allows you to recognize text from an image (OCR) immediately after you create a picture.

Decision and frequent user errors

Despite the simplicity of the process, users often face situations where screenshots are not created. On iPhones, this may be due to the limitations of a particular application. For example, in banking applications or streaming services (Netflix, Kinopoisk), the security system blocks the creation of screenshots, and you will see just a black square instead of an image.

On Xiaomi devices, a common problem is randomly activating Game Turbo. When you start a game, the system goes into this mode, and the standard button combinations can be blocked to prevent accidental exits from the application. In this case, you need to swipe from the corner of the screen to call the Game Turbo menu, and then find the screenshot button there.

• 🚫 Black Screen: Protection DRM-Content or Banking Security.
• 🎮 Game mode: blocking buttons in game applications.
• 🔋 Energy savings: limiting background processes.

It is also worth remembering that in some protected modes (for example, incognito mode in the browser or tablet mode for children), the screenshots can be software disabled by developers for the sake of data privacy.

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If the screenshot fails, 90% of the time it is due to app protection or active game mode, not a phone breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)