I have to admit - I am a bit of an Apple junkie/fanboy. In a past life, I was lead on mobile initiatives for a private university of 9,000 students, so I had test devices where I would install beta builds as they became available after Apple's annual Developer's Conference. My current role doesn't have me focusing on mobile quite as heavy, but it still drives me - so I installed a public release of iOS 11 beta. (Go to Apple's Beta Program to sign up for their iOS, MacOS, and tvOS publicly available beta programs.)
After installing iOS 11 on my personal device, I started tinkering with the new features, trying to break things and hoping to get myself into some trouble. Instead - I found an icon in the newly revamped Control Center.
After clicking on it, it asked if I wanted to start recording my screen, and I have to admit I was a bit giddy. Although there are some solutions out there that enable you to record your iOS device on your computer, I have never truly been satisfied with some of the outcomes (please, if I'm missing something out there, tell me!).
At first, my hope was that this was going to enhance mobile training and tutorials. However, after my first video, I can tell you that it will most likely create more work for you after the recording.
I haven't tested this with audio, so I can't verify how well it records your voice, but according to 9to5Mac.com, you can use your microphone, but not the audio from the application. But I can say it does not record where you are tapping in any sort of manner - so you will need to be mindful of that and slow down your steps while recording, and then add some sort of visual cue in an editing software. Also, it records from the very beginning to the very end. What I mean by that is you get from the Control Center being open - to the "Stop Recording" window still showing. In my opinion these should be removed for a more professional look. Oh, and don't get me started with that blue bar at the top of the screen letting you know you are recording! It's pretty hideous. Just take a look at a very simple sample video I made where I take a picture I edited in VSCO, then I show you the difference between the original and the edits in Photos, then I upload to Instagram.
So, what do you think? Is this a viable option for training or tutorials in a pinch? Or is it better suited for remote support of our users? Take a look at the 9to5Mac article I linked above that talks about this feature. It not only talks about this update, but also how to enable this feature and possible uses.
(And Android users - is this something you already have and Apple is playing catch up? Or is this something completely new? OR...is there already an app for that on both platforms that I'm not aware of?!?)
