It seems that many apps that start off as desktop platforms and move to mobile lose some of their functionality in the process. This is almost inexcusable these days since we now have iPads that rival most entry-level and mid-range laptops in terms of performance. Microsoft Teams is no exception. For example, how can you screen record a Teams meeting with audio on an iPad?
Teams’ built-in meeting recording function should work on an iPad if your IT department enabled the function. Apple’s own screen recording does not record audio by default. You can work around this, but it’s not always convenient. There are third-party solutions that will record with audio.
It’s a pity that we have to look for solutions to problems that should not exist these days. After the pandemic and everyone working from home, the ability to record a meeting with audio should be a standard feature, but alas, it is what it is. Thankfully some companies notice the shortfalls of others and give us solutions to those problems. Let’s look at a few of them.
Teams For iOS’ Built-In Recording Feature
Microsoft built the meeting recording feature into the Teams mobile apps, including the iPadOS version of the app. Since it’s usually the best option to use an app’s built-in functionality, that’s what we will look at first.
How To Use Teams For iPad’s Meeting Recording Function
If you wish to record an MS Teams meeting on your iPad, simply follow these steps:
- Start or join the meeting. Ensure that your camera is on or you are presenting and that your microphone is unmuted.
- Tap on Meeting Controls.
- Select More Options.
- Click on Start Recording.
- Attendees in the meeting will be notified that the meeting is being recorded.
To stop recording, you can follow the same steps. The “Start Recording” option should now be replaced by “Stop Recording.” The recording, including all audio and video, should be available on Microsoft Stream or in the team where the meeting took place within a few minutes.
Why Teams’ Built-In Recording Function May Not Work
So you tried the steps above, but you were still unable to record the meeting? There may be a few reasons for this:
- Your Teams app is outdated. Recording of meetings has been supported in all versions of Microsoft Teams for iPad since 2019. This means that either your iPad hasn’t updated apps for a long time, or you have an old iPad that does not support the latest version of Teams. If possible, update the Teams app from the App Store and see if that works.
If you aren’t able to update the app for whatever reason, try to go to the web version of Teams and do the recording there. Since the web app is always up-to-date, this should work if the problem was a version issue.
- You may lack the necessary permissions. Your workplace’s IT administrators are responsible for assigning permissions and allowing you access to apps and features. Some (primarily junior) staff may not have permission to record meetings, depending on the company’s user policies. If you require this function, contact your IT department and have them look into it.
- You may not be the meeting organizer. In many companies, only the organizer or presenter of the meeting may start and stop recordings. Now it is up to them to share the meeting recording with anyone they choose. If they set that option, and you are only an attendee of the Teams meeting, you cannot record the meeting from your side, at least not in the app.
Cons Of Teams’ Built-In Recording Function
As great as it is, sometimes Teams’ recording function isn’t perfect. Two central problems could make it less than ideal for some users:
- Recordings are saved online. This is a positive since it takes up no disk space on your iPad, but it’s also less ideal since you have to access the recording either through Microsoft Stream or the Teams app.
- Sometimes recordings expire. So you want to re-watch a meeting from a year ago? If you didn’t change expiration settings, it might be gone forever.
- Only organizers and presenters have access to recordings by default. If they forget to record or choose not to share the recordings with you, you simply won’t have access to it.
Record Teams Meetings With iPad’s Screen Recording Function
After using an app’s built-in functions, the second-best option is to use the device’s features. iPads, like all iOS devices, have excellent screen recording functionality. These may be hard to find, though, since it’s not an app; it’s a feature. Here’s how you can record Teams meetings using your iPad’s screen recording function:
- Activate the Screen Recording feature and make it accessible by going to Settings, Control Center, Customize Controls. Click the plus button next to “Screen Recording” to add it to Control Center.
- Start or join your Teams meeting.
- Immediately after starting or joining the meeting, drag down from the top right corner of the iPad to open Control Center.
- Tap and hold on the “Screen Recording” option (it looks like a greyed-out Record button, a dot inside of a circle).
- Tap on the Microphone option to enable audio recording. It will record any audio that it picks up from the iPad’s microphone.
- There will be a three-second countdown, after which it will start recording.
- Once the meeting is over, select “Stop Recording.” The video, including audio, will be saved in your photo gallery, where you can view and share it with others.
Advantages Of Using The iPad’s Screen Recording Function
The obvious advantage is that you have total control over the recording yourself. If you aren’t permitted to record the meeting using Teams’ built-in function, this will still allow you to record it. If you want to have a local copy of the recording on your iPad, this will save it directly on your device. If you’re going to keep the recording after it’s expired, you will have it until you choose to delete it.
Disadvantages Of The iPad’s Screen Recording Function
Despite the many advantages, there are also five disadvantages to this option that you have to keep in mind:
- The audio will not be captured directly from Teams. It is played through your iPad’s speaker, and from there, it is picked up by the microphone. This could lead to poor audio quality, and some of the things that people say during the meeting could be unclear when watching the recording afterward.
- This disadvantage is also related to how the screen recorder deals with audio. Since the iPad will be recording any audio coming in through the microphone, any background noise will be recorded as well, even if you mute your microphone on Teams.
Are your dogs barking? It will be recorded. That sneeze you’ve been holding in until you get the opportunity to mute your microphone? Recorded. The neighbors’ son practicing with his high school rock band? Yes, it’s on the recording.
- The third disadvantage, which is also related to the way the screen recorder deals with audio: You cannot use headphones. Since the microphone records what it hears, it won’t hear any of your Teams meeting if you’re using headphones. It must be a speaker, and it must be relatively loud to be recorded effectively.
- It could be illegal. There’s a reason why Microsoft Teams informs everyone that the meeting is being recorded: so people know that anything they say and do during the meeting will be there for anyone to see and hear after the meeting is over. In most countries, you legally have to inform someone if you’re recording them, or it’s illegal, and you may be sued.
- This is unconfirmed, but some users have claimed that Teams blocks any external recording software. Instead of seeing the video, they simply get a black screen in the recording. This is done due to privacy concerns, similar to how Netflix and other streaming services block screen recording software. So it could work, but it’s also possible that it won’t.
Third-Party Recording Software For The iPad
If both of the options mentioned so far are failing you, some excellent third-party software alternatives will allow you to record your Teams meetings, with audio, on an iPad. Be careful, though; don’t just go into the App Store and download one. Read up about it, and not just the App Store reviews. Some of those apps could have hidden agendas or be less effective than you hope.
One of the most reputable third-party screen recording apps that will allow you to record a Teams meeting on your iPad is DU Recorder.
DU Recorder For iPad – Free, Lightweight, Powerful
DU Recorder is an app that’s available on Apple’s App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It has a solid five-star rating, and the online reviews are excellent. But as mentioned before, ratings and reviews are not always reliable. DU Recorder, though, seems to hold up to the hype.
First of all, its price is unbeatable at $0. That’s right; it’s free. There isn’t even a “Premium” version to subscribe to, nor are there ads or usage limits. This is usually enough to cause suspicion, but it really is a great app that’s free to use. It’s been on the App Store for more than four years, with strict privacy policies, which says a lot about its trustworthiness. It’s also lightweight, with a size of 6MB!
You have the option to either record your screen, or record through your camera, or to live-stream to YouTube. When you record your screen, you can choose the resolution, FPS, and even include your camera view if you prefer (which is why it’s perfect for professional streamers).
More importantly for Microsoft Teams meetings, though, is its ability to record system audio. So instead of recording your microphone, it can actually record the Teams audio directly, improving the sound quality and ensuring that it’s just as clear after the meeting as it was during the meeting. There are also no black screen issues when DU Recorder captures your Teams meetings.
DU Recorder also saves the recorded file directly to your device instead of to the cloud, so there’s improved privacy and control over the recording.
The only two caveats to DU Recorder at this point are that, firstly, it records ALL system audio. So any notifications or other audio that come through on your iPad while it’s recording will be recorded along with the meeting. You don’t have the option of recording the meeting so you can watch it later and watching YouTube videos instead
Like the iPad’s own screen recording function, the second disadvantage is that recording without the other meeting attendees’ permission could be illegal. So be sure to inform all the users that you are recording the meeting on your device and offer to share the recording with them after it’s finished. Also, be respectful to requests not to be recorded in the meeting – people have that right.
How To Record Your Teams Meeting With DU Recorder
Recording your meetings with DU Recorder is really simple. You first have to install the app from the App Store on the iPad you’re planning to use. Then open DU Recorder and accept the necessary permissions.
Set the source options – select Screen for the video option and System for the audio. This will ensure that the meeting is recorded and nothing else. It is also recommended that you set your iPad’s screen to never turn itself off in the Display Settings. All of this should be done before you start the meeting to save time and have everything ready by the time the meeting begins.
When it’s time to record, follow these steps:
- Open Microsoft Teams on your iPad and start or join the meeting that you wish to record.
- Open DU Recorder.
- A floating icon should appear on the edge of your screen. This is where you can control the recording settings.
- Tap on the floating button.
- Tap the Record button. This will start the recording.
- Once the meeting is done, you can tap on the Stop button.
- The recording will be saved in your Photo Gallery along with all your other photos and videos. From there, you can watch the recording and share it with other people.
Conclusion
Recording your Teams meetings, with audio, on your iPad could be more complicated than it needs to be. We’re grateful that there are solutions to the problem, but each solution has its own set of drawbacks. We can only choose the challenges that we’re willing to live with and hope that developers will wake up to the many ways available to improve our technology even more.
References
I did not come up with the answers to this topic on my own. I’m mostly a Slack and Zoom user so when this topic came up (someone searched for it on my site) I did some research. This is a list of websites that helped me come up with a solution. Credit where credit is due.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207935
https://www.easeus.com/screen-recording-tips/record-microsoft-teams-meeting.html
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/du-recorder-screen-recorder/id1512565587?mt=12
