With Android 12, Google has introduced the ability to take full-page scrolling screenshots on your Android device. We’re sure this is going to be one of the most-liked features of Android 12 for many users. What’s even better is that Google UI for the same looks so cool. Here’s how you can take scrolling screenshots on Android 12.

How to take a scrolling screenshot on Android 12

The option to take scrolling screenshots has been one of the most requested features and has taken years to arrive. And now that it’s finally here, we can expect it to offer a seamless experience and better compatibility with a motley of apps. According to the Android Developers Blog, scrolling screenshots work out-of-the-box for most apps. Here’s how it works:

Open an app or a page whose screenshot you want to take and then press the power button and volume down button together (or use your preferred method of initiating a screenshot). 

This will capture the screenshot just as you’d expect it to. The screenshot will hover to the bottom left of your screen. If the scrollable screenshot feature is available for that app, you will see a “Capture more” button. Tap on it.

You will now see an interface similar to what’s shown below.

Here, you can expand the total area that you want to capture by dragging the handles from the top or the bottom. Dragging from the top or the bottom will bring up a circle that zooms in the exact area where the margins end.

Once you have the area that you want to cover, tap on the good ol’ ‘Save’ button to the top left corner. 

And that’s it! Your scrollable screenshot will be available in your Gallery or Photos app.

How to edit a scrolling screenshot on Android 12

Android 12 lets you not only take scrolling screenshots but you can also edit them the way you would edit any other screenshots on your phone. 

Crop a screenshot

You can also crop the scrolling screenshot when capturing one or after the screenshot has been captured. 

During screen capture

To do so, drag the side handles to crop your scrolling screenshot as shown below.

You won’t see the zoom circle if you’re dragging the side handles. Nevertheless, you will be able to drag and select the area just the same. 

Once you’re done, tap on Save. 

After capturing a screenshot

If you’ve already lined up your scrolling screenshot, you can crop it soon after you capture one by tapping the pencil icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. 

Inside the editing screen, tap on the Crop icon from the bottom.

Now, start moving the dots on any of the edges of the screenshot accordingly to crop it the way you want. 

Once you’ve cropped your screenshot, you can tap on the ‘Save’ option at the top left corner. 

The screenshot will be cropped and stored on your Android device. 

Draw or add text to screenshots

After taking a scrolling screenshot, you also have the option to further edit the screenshot by adding annotations or text to it. To do that, tap on the pencil icon in the bottom right corner after you capture a scrolling screenshot. 

In the edit screen, tap on the ‘Tt’ icon at the bottom to add text to your screenshot. 

You can then choose a text style and color at the top of the screen and then start typing the text you want to add. 

Other than adding texts, you can draw over a scrolling screenshot by tapping the pen or marker icons at the bottom, choosing your desired color, and then doodling over the screen to make the necessary annotations. 

After editing the image your preferred way, you can tap on the ‘Save’ option at the top left corner to store the screenshot on your phone. 

You can also directly send the edited screenshot to others by tapping the Share icon at the top right corner. 

The whole experience is not new, but it’s quite refreshing, to say the least. Those who don’t rock stock Android know that this is exactly how scrolling screenshots work on their OEM skinned Android smartphones or on third-party apps with the same feature but the UI on Android 12 for the same is the best we’ve seen thus far.

Even though it’s taken years to arrive, Google has been adamant that it didn’t want to do a botched job of it which is the main reason for this delay. Whatever the case may be, we’re just glad that scrollable screenshots are finally a thing on stock Android!