iPhone screen recording app slips onto the App Store
A new app called xRec can record what's on your iPhone's screen and turn it into a video file, even if it's a third-party app.
Updated 7/23 at 12:49 p.m. PT. See below for details.
An iPhone application that allows users to record their screens, including screen activity while using third-party apps on your phone, has managed to sneak onto the App Store.
xRec, which was published on Saturday and costs $1.99 on (iTunes), can record screen activity in its entirety. The software requires an active Internet connection to work and, according to tech site Giga (Google Translate), uses code from jailbreak app RecordMyScreen, which offers a similar feature set and user interface.
The app shows a red, pulsing bar at the top of the screen when it's recording, something that cannot be removed. Users also can record audio at various quality levels with the app. You can save the captured data to your camera roll or send it to other installed apps.
Screen recording is not something Apple provides to developers to add to their apps, let alone something that can record activity in other software.
The software, which Apple likely will remove, requires iOS 5. Its developer says it will not work with iOS 7, Apple's upcoming mobile operating system update.
This is not the first screen recording app to hit the App Store, but the capability to record activity from other applications is unique. iOS app UX Recorder also records on-screen activity, but it's limited to the front-facing camera and the Web browser built into the app.
Update at 12:49 p.m. PT on 7/23: And it's been removed from the U.S. App Store. We're looking into more details on whether it will come back, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.