Cannot record iPhone screen(iOS 10.3) with Quicktime player

Yesterday Apple released iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4. So I upgraded mine. But then there a big issue happened to me. I cannot record my iPhone screen anymore. I've tested on other iPhone with last version of iOS, and it worked. So I am sure this is a bug to iOS 10.3. I hope Apple can solve this very soon. This bug is important to me.

Strange! After reading this discussion I made a quick 38 sec test using my iMac (MacOS X v10.12.4) and iPhone6s(Plus) operating under IOS v10.3 which created this file:

URL for test clip: http://downloads.walker4.me/MyDownloads/iPhone6s+RecordingTest.mov

I can record videos from iphone but not from ipad, so it's a very strange bug

After reading tiziano-faion's comments above, I went back and ran similar test recordings for an iPad Air 2 (iOS v10.3.1) and an iPad Pro (iOS v10.3.1). In both cases I was able to record device screens in the QT X Player app on my iMac (MacOS v10.12.4) without issue. Based on my results and the various postings of others, I suspect the real problem here is most likely a software conflict issue rather than a generic operating system "bug." I.e., I suspect some app or collection of apps installed on certain iOS devices is taking control of or preventing access to iOS device routines required by the MacOS QT X Player app for recording.

iPad Air 2 Test Results:

URL for Test Video: http://downloads.walker4.me/MyDownloads/iPadAir2QTXRecordingTest.mov

iPad Pro Test Results:

URL for Test Video: http://downloads.walker4.me/MyDownloads/iPadProRecordingTest.mov

There are many ways to perform such tests. In my case, if I were having problems similar to tiziano-faion's, I would compare the apps installed on my iPhone against those installed on the iPad. Since I could infer that none of the apps on the iPhone is causing a problem, I would concentrate on running "conflict" tests on any remaining third-party apps installed on the iPad but not installed on the iPhone. I.e., I would temporarily remove/delete these apps from the iPad, reset/restart the iPad, and again try making a test recording. If iOS device recording is working again, then you may assume one (or more) of the removed apps was causing the problem. By reinstalling and retesting recording capabilities one app at a time, you should be able to determine which app or collection of apps is causing the problem.

When you write "There are many ways to perform such tests." I can't help but roll my eyes, as I agree, but I also expect that Apple would have done those tests themselves before pushing faulty software to our prohibitively expensive devices.

While I agree this is a reasonable expectation for Apple and its AppleSeed beta testers as far as a basic operating system (MacOS, iOS, and/or tvOS) and its included software apps are concerned, it must be remembered that the tens of thousands of additional "add-on" apps, utilities, and hardware peripherals create a list of potential "conflict" permutations that grows exponentially with each new addition. Having said that, I admit that Apple has made some glaring past errors. (E.g., forgetting to test the compatibility of "Pro" codec support with new QT X structure embeds in the initial release of Mavericks. Quickly fixed—but what a shock for initial adopters!)

It's definitely still broken on the iPhone 5S, after resetting and not installing or signing into anything.

Will have to wait for my wife to return home before I can test an iPhone 5s. Any major differences in software/iOS installations on iPhone as opposed to your iPad?

All this is true for firmware 10.3.0, 10.3.1, 10.3.2 beta 1 and beta 2. Similar IPhone 5s with firmware 10.2.1 works and allows you to record video from the screen... The thing is in the IPhone firmware itself.Interestingly, is this a way to get users to update their phones?

I got similar results on my wife's iPhone 5s. As soon as I upgraded her phone from iOS v10.2.1 to v10.3.1, I started getting the message. While I don't really think Apple programmed this "bug" into the upgrade, it is unclear whether or not Apple will actively continue to support the iPhone 5s by fixing this issue. Suggest users file "bug" reports to Apple regarding the problem and then wait to see if it is rectified.

I'm unable to record my iPad (iOS 10.3.1) but I think the problem is with the MacOS update to Sierra 10.12.4.

What iPad/Mac devices are you using? Problem appears to be device-firmware, MacOS-iOS, and/or software conflict specific. iPhones 6/7 (iOS v10.3.1) and at least iPads Air 2/Pro (iOS v10.3.1) seem to be compatible with at least some Mac platforms operating under MacOS v10.12.4 at this time. On the other hand, no iPhone 5s devices (iOS v10.3.1) appear to be able to be recorded by the QT X Player on Mac platforms running under the latest version of Sierra but seem to record fine under v10.12.3 (and earlier) MacOS versions. Problems should be reported via the Feedback form to see if Apple will be fixing the issue or abandoning active support for the currently incompatible devices.

Here's the results so far tonight:...

Thanks for the more detailed information. Am attempting to tabulate MacOS X v10.12.4 QT X recording compatibility results based on different mobile devices operating under iOS v10.3.1 as reported here and elsewhere. The following represents current results:

As you can see, most problems/unknowns are associated with discontinued mobile devices that are still supposedly supported by Apple. That is, some devices can still be recorded while others cannot and, at this point, it is unclear if Apple will simply declare non-recordable devices (e.g., the iPhone 5 and 5C) to be "no longer" supported officially or if Apple will opt to find the underlying problem and fix it with another future iOS update. Request other users having first-hand knowledge regarding untested devices listed above respond here with their own "recordability" results.

I have already posted aProduct Feedback "Bug Report" regarding the current MacOS v10.12.4 QT X Player app inability to record some mobile devices but have not posted such feedback for individual mobile products. Request other users experiencing such issues post similar reports to one or more associated product areas as they wish. Not really active any longer in either the Developer or AppleSeed projects, so I have not posted reports there assuming that active program participants have already done so and Apple's response would merely be "this problem has already been reported."

Here are the results:

Have added your iPad Air (1st Gen) MacOS v10.12.4/iOS v10.3.1 test result to my tabulation. However, can you reconfirm the iPad Mini MacOS v10.12.4/iOS v10.3.1 test result as being for an iPad Mini (1st Gen) device? My source indicates the 1st Generation iPad Mini has an operating system limit of iOS v9.3.5 (Wikipedia List of iOS Devices).

This is an iPad mini 2 with Retina display. I got it in 2014.

Thanks again. Have also added your iPad Mini 2 result to the list as follows:

We appear to be getting closer to a cut-off point for compatibility between MacOS v10.14.4/iOS v10.3.1 and the discontinued mobile devices still supported by QT X recordability.

We appear to be getting closer to a cut-off point for compatibility between MacOS v10.14.4/iOS v10.3.1 and the discontinued mobile devices still supported by QT X recordability.

Oops, sorry! This should have read, "We appear to be getting closer to a cut-off point for compatibility between MacOS v10.12.4/iOS v10.3.1 and the discontinued mobile devices still supported by QT X recordability."

I was fine just yesterday with recording my iPhone 5s to my QuickTime Version 10.4 (894.12) (early 2013 Macbook Pro Retina running Sierra OS).

Now all of a sudden, that black screen appears with no display of my phone stating it cannot record!!!

Whyyyyyyyyyy??

Check the iPhone iOS version. Did you just upgrade to iOS v10.3.1? If so, that explains it.

According to the chart, I was recording well past that discontinued date!

The "Discontinued" date refers to the date Apple discontinued manufacture of the last production model in the iPhone 5S series. The iPhone 5S is still listed as being "supported" by Apple using the latest iOS v10.3.1 version (unlike the iPhone 5 and 5C which are no longer officially "supported" as of 3 April 2017) but this may or may not include support of all features/capabilities previously "supported." I.e., we are still waiting to see if Apple will provide a "bug" fix for iOS devices like the iPhone 5S, iPad 4th Gen, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, etc. to restore QT X recording of these iOS devices that are no longer being manufactured.

What gives?!

That's what most of us are trying to find out here by exchanging observations and ideas.

I did not upgrade to the iOS v10.3.1 because last time I did ( a week and a half ago), that's when i discovered this issue. So i downgraded to v10.2.1 as that worked until today!

Unfortunately, "did not upgrade to the iOS v10.3.1" is different from having upgraded to it and then downgrading to an earlier version of iOS. Previous attempted use may have written a preference or setting change related to the iPhone 5S to the MacOS platform which may have re-triggered the issue. Have you checked the Mac platform logs for any recent installs or mods to components/extensions/frameworks at about the time this problem came up again. Also, if I were in your place, I might run a quick MacOS v10.12.4 conflict test by performing a clean reformat and install of the MacOS on a spare external HDD, reboot the system from the external drive, and test QTX-iPhone 5S recordability under its current v10.2.1 rolled back version of iOS. There appears to be a 10-11 day window between the release of iOS v10.3.1 (following which recordings continued to work for non-v10.3 devices) and the release of MacOS v10.12.4 (which triggered the non-recordabilty issue of certain iOS v10.3.1 devices but not the same devices still operating under the older iOS v10.2.1). Therefore, this problem appears to be the result of several different factors simultaneously at work. It is unclear if this is a software-hardware "conflict" issue ("bug") that Apple will correct or a programmed degrading of the QT X recording capability for certain devices by Apple. Unfortunately, only time (as related to Apple's reaction to user feedback) will tell for sure.

10.3.1 works fine with my iPhone 6

Thanks! Have added this info to my tabulation. Looks like the problem may be limited to discontinued devices originally released prior to September 2014. (Still missing user compatibility results for the iPhone 5C, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Mini 3, and iPad Mini 4.)

after I tested with my iPad Air (didn't work) I tested with our iPad Mini 3, and it didn't work either.

So there's a new "No" for your table.

Thanks for the info! File updated but it looks as if the next update will fix the current issue for most devices.

dunno how that setting got reset....but it works now....

Computers normally remain "trusted" unless you reset the "Location and Privacy" setting or you erase the iOS device. In addition, iOS device seem to sometimes "glitch" on their own requiring users to periodically power down the device to force it to "reboot" and clean itself up.