As Android has continued to progress in overall OS functionality, the mirroring of PC features has become more and more commonplace. For many, an Android phone or iPhone is their most used, and most useful, computer. And that is essentially what smartphones are these days – miniature pocket PCs.
One simple but immensely useful OS feature of Android is the ability to take a screenshot of what is currently on the screen. Whether one needs work related documentation, or simply a way to share something, taking a screen shot is a few button presses or swipes away in modern Android (Nougat, Oreo, Pie etc.).
Taking a screenshot with most Android phones requires one to either hold the power button or hold the power button and the volume down button at the same time. You can even take a screenshot with Google Assistant using the following command: “Hey Google, take a screenshot.”. But what if you want to share your screenshot with someone else, or email/upload it to one of your own accounts? This too is very simple.
Sharing Your Screenshots
After holding down the proper buttons, using Google Assistant, or using a gesture (like the 3 finger swipe on the OnePlus 5, 5T, and 6), you’re going to see a few options for further actions. One of the icons that will show up is the standard Android share icon which looks as follows:
Android uses the standardized share icon.The option for further actions after taking a screenshot disappears after a few seconds, but you can access your screenshot by heading to the notifications area or your phone’s gallery. From here you can find the share icon. Once you tap the icon you’ll be able to share it via apps on your phone. This is what it will look like:
Touching the share icon will open up a list of sharing options.Once you’re at the Android sharing options you’ll be able to send it with your favorite messaging app, email it to yourself or others, upload it to Google Drive, and so on. Simply swipe left or right to see all available apps to share with on your phone.
The following steps were done with a OnePlus 6 running Android Pie (9.0), but sharing screenshots is going to be very similar across the board on Android. Taking and sharing screenshots are integral features of an OS, and Android has made the process incredibly intuitive, especially with the integrated functionality of Google Assistant.
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