xRec is a Screen Recorder for iPhone, Works Without a Jailbreak

Ever wanted to record a game you’re playing for upload to YouTube? Have you wanted to share screen recorded video demos of apps you’ve developed? Until today, neither of these scenarios were possible without a jailbroken device and a free app likeRecordMyScreen. Today that’s changing for the first time in over a year. xRec is a new app available on the App Store that allows you to record your screen anywhere within iOS.

Using iOS video recording APIs that otherwise scarcely slip through the fingers of theApp Store’s approval team, xRec can record your device’s screen from anywhere – even after leaving the app itself. To get started, open the app like any other you’ve downloaded and head to Settings where you can designate which orientation you would like to record in – you can pick any of the four. From there, tap Record, tap Start, and quit the app. Continue using the device as normal and record what you’d like!

Here’s a quick video of xRec in action:

After you’ve finished recording your clip, head back into the app and tap Stop. The app will then have to encode the video you just recorded and will take a fair amount of time depending on how fast your device is and how long you were recording. Under the videos tab you will find your encoded videos which can be exported via a variety of methods including Dropbox and Google Drive.

While the app is definitely cool, there are some drawbacks. While recording, the red banner seen in the image above will always be visible. There’s no way around this as of now. On top of that, the app requires an internet connection to function. The developers figured they’d finish the trio of complaints out with the fact that the app doesn’t record system sounds. It records whatever the device’s microphone picks up so you might want to be careful about not making too much noise while recording.

The app is not yet compatible with iOS 7 and, quite frankly, you shouldn’t expect it to be. Furthermore, while the iPad is not yet officially supported, the developer seems to have assured Scott Buscemi of 9to5Mac that the iPad will be added to the list of compatible devices soon.

It’s worth noting that this app probably won’t last long – it’s already been covered oniDownloadBlog, iPhoneHacks, 9to5Mac and more (not to mention here). Apple has undoubtedly seen it and, if an app gets publicized to have broken Apple’s rules, they’re obligated to take it down. Good luck grabbing the app before it’s too late!

xRec is compatible with the iPhone 3GS and up, third-gen iPod touch and up, and requires iOS 5.0 and up. The app is available on the App Store right now and will run you $1.99. Get it while it lasts.

Categories: iPhone