Recording your Nothing Phone (3) screen is a great way to create tutorials, capture gameplay, or save a memorable video call. The process is built right into Nothing OS 3.0, and it includes options for capturing both system audio and your own voice.
Access the Screen Recorder
Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to pull down the full Quick Settings panel. Look for a tile labeled Screen Record or one with a circle icon. If you don't see it immediately, tap the Edit or pencil icon to rearrange your tiles and add the Screen Record function from the available options.
Once added, it will stay in your Quick Settings for easy access. I'd start by checking here first, as it's the fastest method.
Start Your Recording with Audio
Tap the Screen Record tile. A menu will pop up asking you to choose your audio source before you begin. You'll typically have three choices: Device audio (captures sounds from apps and games), Device audio and microphoneMicrophone only.
For a complete recording with narration, select "Device audio and microphone." You can also toggle an option to Show touches, which places a white circle wherever you tap, perfect for guiding someone through steps.
Manage the Recording Session
After tapping Start, a short countdown begins. A persistent notification and a red recording indicator will appear, usually in your status bar or as a floating button. You can now navigate to any app, game, or menu you want to capture.
To stop, simply tap the Stop button in the ongoing notification or tap the red indicator. The video will automatically save to your Gallery app. In my experience, this is the most reliable way to end the recording cleanly.
Find and Edit Your Video
Your screen recording will be saved in the Gallery or Photos app, often in a dedicated "Screen recordings" or "Movies" folder. Open the video and tap the edit button (usually a pencil or scissors icon) to trim the beginning or end.
This is useful for cutting out the moments where you're starting and stopping the recorder. The built-in editor on the Nothing Phone (3) is straightforward for basic cuts.
Optimize for Gameplay
If you're recording a game, consider using the Google Play Games app. Open it, select your game, and look for a recording or "Capture" option. This method is often optimized to minimize performance impact on the game itself.
It may also offer a picture-in-picture mode that includes your face from the front camera. For pure gameplay clips without commentary, the built-in screen recorder set to "Device audio" works perfectly.
Understand the Limitations
Due to copyright protection, most premium video streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video will block screen recording. You'll often just see a black screen where the video should be.
Similarly, banking and secure payment apps may disable recording for security reasons. For everything else, web browsing, social media, or regular apps, you shouldn't run into any issues.
Adjust Quality and Settings
For more control, long-press the Screen Record tile in Quick Settings or look for a "Screen recorder" app in your app drawer. Here, you might find settings to change the video resolution, frame rate, and bitrate.
Higher quality settings like 1080p or 60fps look great but create much larger files. If you're just recording for a quick tutorial, a standard 1080p 30fps setting is usually sufficient and saves storage space.
Share Your Creation
Once your recording is ready, open it in your Gallery and tap the share icon. You can send it directly via messaging apps, email, or upload it to platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
For very long recordings, the file size might be large. You may need to use a video editing app to compress it slightly before sharing it on some platforms that have file size limits.
Explore Third-Party Apps
If you need features like live drawing, more advanced editing, or scheduled recording, third-party apps on the Google Play Store can help. Popular options like AZ Screen Recorder or Mobizen offer extensive toolkits.
Just remember to grant the necessary permissions when you first open them. These apps are great supplements, but for most users, the built-in recorder on the Nothing Phone (3) covers all the essentials.