Screenshot
A saved image of what was shown on a device's display at a given moment.
It's equivalent to taking a photo of a device's display, but more directly, via software directly within the device instead of requiring a separate camera. The resulting image file is a pixel-for-pixel representation of what was shown on the device's display at the moment it was captured.
The ability to capture and save a screenshot is a common feature of most OSes, including Android and iOS.
After the screenshot is captured, it is saved as an image file that can be kept and/or shared.
Modern OSes make it easy to immediately share screenshots, offering an easy way to share information from a source that doesn't have its own "share" function.
Enhanced versions of screenshots include: Screen Recording, the video equivalent of a screenshot, and Scrolling Screenshot, which captures longer vertical content all at once (that would otherwise require scrolling down and taking multiple screenshots).
Last updated Apr 23, 2026 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
