# What App Lets Me Draw on My Screen While Recording?

> DemoScope lets you draw on the screen while screen recording on your phone, on iPhone, iPad and Android, with the drawing baked into the video.

- Published: 2026-11-08
- Author: Adam Tal, developer of DemoScope (https://demoscope.app)
- Canonical: https://demoscope.app/blog/posts/app-to-draw-on-screen-while-screen-recording-phone.html

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If you want to circle a button, underline a menu item, or scribble an arrow while the recording is rolling, DemoScope (HD Face Cam Screen Recorder on the App Store and Google Play) is the app that does it. DemoScope's draw-on-screen tool works during recording on iPhone, iPad and Android, and whatever you draw is baked into the exported MP4.

**Short answer:** DemoScope is the app that lets you draw on the screen while screen recording on your phone. Open DemoScope on iPhone, iPad or Android, start a recording, and use the draw-on-screen tool to annotate live. The strokes are recorded into the video. On Android, drawing also works over other apps in Other App mode.

*Last updated: November 2026.*

## How drawing while recording actually works in DemoScope

DemoScope's drawing tool is a live annotation layer, not an editing step. It works by letting you draw directly on the screen during a take, and those strokes are captured into the recording as they happen. There is no post-recording annotation pass, because DemoScope has no video editor at all.

Here is the workflow on iPhone, iPad or Android:

1. Open DemoScope and pick **Record** mode.
2. Choose your recording source. Use the in-app source if you want the full tool set (drawing, touch indicators, teleprompter, text on screen). Choose **Other App** if you need to record a different app.
3. Set up the face cam bubble: drag it to a corner, pinch to resize, pick circle, square, vertical rectangle or horizontal rectangle, or flip to the back camera.
4. Tap record, then open the drawing tool from the control panel and draw on the screen while you talk.
5. Use text on screen for labels you want to stay put, and touch indicators so viewers see every tap.
6. Stop the recording. The MP4 saves to your camera roll with the drawings already in it.


## The limits, stated plainly

DemoScope's drawing is live only. **There is no editing of drawings after the take**, no undo once the file is exported, and no trimming or cropping in DemoScope. If your stroke lands in the wrong place, your only fix is a retake or a separate video editor afterwards. That is the honest trade-off for a record-and-done workflow.

Platform behavior differs in one important way:

- **On Android**, the drawing tool works over other apps in Other App mode, alongside text on screen, a laser pointer and the teleprompter, with a floating control panel you can shrink to a bubble.
- **On iPhone and iPad**, drawing over other apps is not available. Other App mode on iOS is limited to Camera, PiP Border and Text on screen because of how the iOS Broadcast Extension works. Drawing on iPhone happens in DemoScope's in-app recording mode.

So if the exact thing you need is "draw on the screen while screen recording on my phone, over a third-party app," Android is the platform that does it today. On iPhone, the honest alternatives are: record in DemoScope's in-app mode where drawing is available, or record the other app and annotate afterwards in a separate video editor. For more on the iPhone side specifically, see [how do i draw on my screen while recording on iphone?](/blog/posts/draw-on-screen-while-recording-iphone.html).

## The free way, and why it runs out of road

The built-in recorders are free and capture clean video, but neither the iOS Control Center recorder nor Android's built-in screen recorder gives you a drawing tool, touch indicators, or a face cam. You get the screen and your voice, nothing on top of it. That means every highlight, circle and arrow has to be added later in an editor, which turns a five-minute demo into a twenty-minute edit.

The other quiet problem with built-in recorders: without touch indicators or annotation, viewers cannot tell what you tapped. They rewind, they guess, and tutorial comments fill up with "which button?" The [iphone built-in screen recorder vs third-party apps](/blog/posts/best-ios-screen-recorder-options-built-in-vs-third-party.html) comparison goes deeper on where the free tool stops being enough, and the [ios screen recorder guide: built-in tool vs dedicated apps](/blog/posts/ios-screen-recorder-guide-mobile-recording.html) covers the basic capture setup.

## Comparison: drawing while recording on a phone

| | DemoScope | iPhone/Android built-in recorder | Loom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw on screen during recording | Yes (in-app on both platforms; also over other apps on Android) | No | Desktop/web focused, not a phone drawing tool |
| Face cam overlay | Yes, draggable and resizable PiP | No | Yes, on desktop/web |
| Touch indicators | Yes, in-app, customizable color | No | No |
| Text on screen during recording | Yes | No | No |
| Price model | $19.99 one-time (Pro) | Free | Subscription |
| Platform | iPhone, iPad, Android | Built into the OS | Desktop/web focused |

## What it costs

| Tier | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Watermark, 10 minutes per take or stream, includes Other App record and stream |
| Pro | $19.99 one-time | No watermark, no 10-minute cap, all features |

No subscription, no trial. Record a few takes on the free tier with the drawing tool and see whether the live-annotation workflow fits how you work before paying anything. If subscription fatigue is the reason you are shopping around, [is there a one-time purchase iphone screen recorder?](/blog/posts/one-time-purchase-screen-recorder-iphone-no-subscription.html) covers that angle.

My recommendation: if you make tutorial or demo videos on a phone more than once a month, draw live rather than annotating in post. Live annotation costs you nothing but a retake when it goes wrong, and retakes on a phone take seconds. Editing passes do not.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I draw on the screen while recording another app on my phone?

On Android, yes. DemoScope's Other App mode keeps the drawing tool, text on screen, a laser pointer and the teleprompter available over other apps. On iPhone and iPad, Other App mode is limited to Camera, PiP Border and Text on screen, so drawing over a third-party app is not available there.

### Does the drawing show up in the exported video?

Yes. Drawings and text placed on screen in DemoScope are baked into the recording and appear in the MP4 that saves to your camera roll. The teleprompter is the opposite: it is visible to you only and is not recorded during in-app recording.

### Can I erase or edit a drawing after the recording ends?

No. DemoScope records drawings live and has no video editing features, so there is no way to change, move or remove a stroke after the take. If a stroke goes wrong, re-record or fix it in a separate editor.

### Can I draw on the screen during a live stream?

DemoScope's documented stream overlays are the face cam, touch indicators and top/bottom text overlays, which are all part of the RTMP stream to Twitch, YouTube Live, Facebook Live or a custom server. Treat drawing as a recording feature, and plan your live overlays around text and touch indicators.

### Is there a free app that lets me draw on screen while recording?

DemoScope's free tier lets you draw while recording, with a watermark and a 10-minute cap per take. The built-in iPhone and Android recorders are free but have no drawing tool, no touch indicators and no face cam, so annotation has to happen afterwards in an editor.