Sharing your smartphone screen during virtual team meetings, remote technical support calls, or while recording gameplay and app tutorials has historically been an all-or-nothing proposition. In standard screen mirroring, viewers can see your entire mobile interface—including incoming text message previews, sensitive two-factor authentication popups, banking notifications, and personal app icons on your home screen. In Android 14 and Android 15, Google introduced Partial Screen Sharing (also known as Single App Screen Sharing).
Partial screen sharing allows you to restrict screen casting and screen recording strictly to a single, designated application window. If you switch to another app, return to the home screen, or receive personal push notifications, viewers see only a blank placeholder or stay locked on the shared application. In this guide, you will learn how partial screen sharing works on Android, how to activate it during video calls and screen recordings, and how to protect sensitive personal data during mobile presentations.
What Is Partial Screen Sharing on Android?
Partial screen sharing isolates the display stream at the system level to safeguard user privacy:
- Single App Sandboxing: Only the contents of the chosen app are broadcast or captured. The navigation dock, notification shade, status bar, and home screen remain hidden.
- Automatic Inactivity Masking: If you navigate away from the shared app to check an urgent email or reply to a text, the external stream pauses or shows a generic placeholder screen. Viewers cannot see secondary apps.
- Notification Privacy: Sensitive incoming heads-up banners—such as WhatsApp messages, SMS verification codes, or calendar alerts—are completely omitted from the screen capture stream.
- Native System API: Works seamlessly across both native system screen recording tools and video conferencing apps (including Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Discord).
System Requirements
Partial screen sharing is supported on devices meeting the following criteria:
- Operating System: Android 14, Android 15, or later.
- Device Compatibility: Google Pixel (Pixel 4a 5G and newer), Samsung Galaxy running One UI 6.0+, Motorola, OnePlus, and other modern Android smartphones.
- App Support: Available natively in the system screen recorder and third-party apps integrating Android’s
MediaProjectionAPI.
How to Use Partial Screen Sharing for Screen Recording
When creating app walkthroughs or tutorial clips without exposing personal notifications:
- Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
- Locate and tap the Screen record tile.
- On the confirmation prompt, look for the dropdown menu under What to record.
- Tap the dropdown and select A single app (instead of Entire screen).
- A carousel of your open recent applications appears.
- Tap the specific app you want to record (e.g., Google Chrome, Settings, or a specific game).
- Configure audio capture preferences (Microphone, Device audio, or both).
- Tap Start. A three-second countdown begins, and Android captures only the designated application.
- To finish, swipe down the notification shade and tap Stop.
How to Use Partial Screen Sharing in Video Calling Apps
When presenting mobile content during live calls on Google Meet, Teams, or Zoom:
- Join your meeting on your Android device.
- Tap the in-call menu and select Share screen.
- The Android system permission prompt appears: Share your screen with [App]?
- Select A single app.
- Choose the app you wish to present from the app selector drawer.
- Tap Start sharing.
- Your meeting participants will see only the selected app window. If you pull down the notification shade to adjust brightness, participants will not see your settings or notification cards.
Partial Screen Sharing vs Entire Screen Sharing
| Feature / Element | Partial Screen Sharing (Single App) | Entire Screen Sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming Notifications | Completely hidden from stream | Visible to all viewers |
| Multitasking & App Switching | Stream pauses on original app | All background apps visible |
| Status Bar & Battery Level | Hidden from recording | Broadcast in stream |
| Navigation Dock / Home Screen | Hidden | Broadcast in stream |
| Privacy Rating | Maximum security | High risk of accidental data leaks |
Tips for Smooth Presentations on Android
To ensure flawless screen shares during professional calls:
- Launch Target App First: Open the app you intend to present before starting the call so it appears immediately in the recent apps carousel.
- Lock Screen Inactivity: If your phone screen locks due to inactivity, the shared stream pauses immediately. Consider setting screen timeout to 5 minutes during presentations in Settings > Display.
- Combine with Do Not Disturb: While partial screen sharing prevents banner leakage, enabling Do Not Disturb silences audio chimes that might otherwise disrupt your microphone feed.