How to Use Partial Screen Recording in Android 15 to Capture Specific Apps Privately

Screen recording on mobile smartphones has traditionally been an all-or-nothing proposition. When recording app tutorials, capturing bug reports for developers, or demonstrating a workflow to a colleague, full screen recorders capture everything displayed on your screen—including personal WhatsApp previews, incoming two-factor authentication SMS codes, battery percentages, and accidental glimpses of your home screen. In Android 15, Google introduced Partial Screen Recording, an OS-level recording mode that binds the video capture engine exclusively to a single application.

How Partial Screen Recording Works in Android 15

Unlike traditional screen recorders that scrape the global display framebuffer, Partial Screen Recording operates at the Window Manager level. When you select a specific target application to record:

• App-Exclusive Capture: Only the UI canvas of that designated application is encoded into the MP4 video output.
• Automatic Notification Masking: Incoming heads-up notifications, incoming phone call banners, and status bar icons are completely omitted from the recording.
• App Switching Blanking: If you navigate back to your home screen or switch to another app (such as checking your password manager), the screen recorder automatically outputs a blank/black frame until you return to the target application.

Step-by-Step: Starting a Partial Screen Recording on Android 15

1. Access the Screen Record Quick Settings Tile

1. Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to open the full Quick Settings panel.
2. Locate and tap the Screen Record tile (if not present, tap the pencil icon to edit tiles and add Screen Record).

2. Select Single App Recording Mode

1. In the recording configuration dialog that appears, tap the dropdown menu beside What to record.
2. Change the selection from Entire screen to A single app.
3. Configure your optional audio and interaction preferences:
   • Record audio: Choose Device audio, Microphone, or Both.
   • Show touches on screen: Enable to display circular visual touch indicators.
4. Tap Start recording.

3. Choose Your Target Application

1. Android displays an interactive app picker showing recently used applications.
2. Tap the application you wish to record (for example, tap Google Docs or your company inventory app).
3. A 3-second countdown timer initiates, and recording begins exclusively inside that selected window.

Stopping the Recording and Managing Video Outputs

When you finish capturing your video demo:

1. Swipe down from the top of the display to access your notification shade.
2. On the red Screen Recorder notification card, tap Stop.
3. Android saves the encoded MP4 video to your local storage under Movies/Screen records.

Key Benefits for Enterprise and Everyday Users