Airserver brings iOS Screen Mirroring to your Mac or PC without Jailbreaking [Review]

By Alok Saboo on August 25th, 2012

One of the questions that I often get asked is how do I create the video tutorials for the iOS apps. Until now, I relied on Veency to record my iDevice’s screen and then used Camtasia Studio to create a tutorial. While Veency is great for most purposes, it requires a jailbroken device and may not appeal to many users. Jailbreaking is not always possible if you want to be on the latest firmware – jailbreak team typically takes some time after Apple has released the iOS update. So, here’s a wonderful solution that lets you record the screen of your A5 devices (iPad 2, iPad 3 and iPhone 4S) without jailbreaking.

What is AirServer?

When Apple introduced Airplay Mirroring, it would let you show the screen of your iDevice on your HDTV via Apple TV. While it was great to show off the games or movies running on your device on a large screen, this approach was not suited for recording the screen of your device. This is where AirServer comes in.

AirServer is an application running on your computer (PC or Mac) that lets you mirror your iDevice on to your computer. Basically, it enables your computer to act as an AirPlay receiver, allowing you to stream content from your iPhone/iPad. Please note that given the resources required, AirServer only works with A5 devices that have the processing power.

AirServer runs on both PC and Mac. The Mac version is significantly advanced, including features like streaming audio, simultaneously mirroring multiple iOS devices, quality enhancements, and is generally more stable. The PC version, while less advanced, supports the mirroring function. This difference is reflected even in the pricing – the PC version is significantly less expensive than the Mac version. Both versions come with a FREE 7 day trial for you to explore the application. Both versions come with free updates.


7 Day Trial	FREE	FREE
Standard License (5 computers)	$14.99	$7.99
Student License (3 computers)	$11.99	$5.99
Bulk License (15 computers)	$59.99	$29.99

Using AirServer to Record your iPhone/iPad Screen

Start the AirServer app on your computer. Make sure that your computer and your iPhone or iPad are connected to the same WiFi network.

Connect your computer and iDevice to the same wifi network

Double click the Home button on your iDevice to display your recently used apps. Swipe the recently used apps from left to right until you see the circular AirPlay button.

Tap the AirPlay icon to display the list of AirPlay enabled device – you should see your computer listed here. Select your computer from the list. You will also see an option to turn on/off Mirroring when you select your Mac/PC.

Once you select Mirroring, you should see your iPhone/iPad screen on your computer. Use any screen recording application to record the screen of your iDevice. There are some good free screen recording applications – CamStudio, TechSmith Jing, Windows Media Encoder, or UltraVNC Screen Recorder.

On your computer, you have a few options to optimize your mirroring. The recommended settings (720p) works well, but play with them to see which one works best for you.

I have been using AirServer for some time now on my PC and am reasonably happy with its performance. For the price, I think it is a good investment. Take a look at the video demonstration below:

Let us know if you are you using any other app/method to record your iPhone/iPad screen recording…

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