Discord started out as a chat service for gamers to keep in touch with their teammates and eventually grew into a platform hosting a wide range of communities that aren’t just gamers. If you’re an active Discord user, you might already know that the company never really offered the ability to share your screen on mobile despite offering the feature on its desktop versions. Fortunately, that has changed now. Following a screen sharing beta test on Android, Discord has finally added mobile screen sharing on iOS and Android. Today we are going to see how you can use the feature on your smartphone.
Share Screen on Discord Mobile
We’ll cover how to start or stop screen sharing, how you can join a session, supported platforms, and things you need to keep in mind when using the feature. Feel free to use the table of contents below to navigate these sections.
Start Screen Sharing on Discord Mobile
1. The first step to start a screen sharing session on Discord mobile is to initiate a voice or video call. You can do this in a personal chat, a group DM, or a server’s voice/video channels. You’ll find the button to start a voice or video call in the top right corner of the app.
2. Once you’re in, you will see a new “Screen Sharing” button in the call interface. If you are on a voice call, you can access the screen sharing button by swiping up from the bottom of the page. For those making video calls, the option to start screen sharing is present in the bottom row of quick controls.
3. As soon as you tap the screen sharing button, a prompt appears asking you to confirm if you want to share your screen. Tap “Start Now” to start the screen sharing session. If successful, you will see a page that reads “You are sharing your screen! “. You can then move on to other apps that you want to share with your friends.
Stop Screen Sharing on Discord Mobile
1. Once you are done with screen sharing, you have three options to end the session. First, you need to go back to the Discord app. On the screen sharing confirmation page, tap “Stop sharing”. Alternatively, you can tap the “Stop Streaming” button in the bottom navigation to end the session.
2. If you’re in a rush, you can also go to the notification panel and tap the “Stop Broadcasting” button on the Discord app notification to end the session.
Join a Discord screen sharing session
1. Now that you know how to start and stop screen sharing, let’s see how to join a friend’s screen sharing. As soon as a friend starts sharing their screen while you’re connected via voice/video, you will see a button labeled “Watch Stream”. Tap it to join.
2. Notably, you can switch between streams if multiple friends are sharing their screens at the same time. To switch streams, all you have to do is tap the Watch Stream button on the second friend’s stream.
Supported platforms and applications
You can use Discord’s mobile screen sharing on Android and iOS. Functionality supports Android phones running Lollipop (5.0) and above. Additionally, the ability to share audio within a screen sharing session is supported on devices running Android 10 and later. Although you can use screen sharing on Android and iOS, the company does not support the feature on iOS 12 at this moment. However, the good news is that the developers at Discord are working to add support for the foreseeable future.
As for apps, Discord notes that some apps may not support audio sharing on Android devices. That said, it should work on most apps you use daily. On a similar note, keep in mind that you cannot use this feature on streaming apps such as Netflix and Spotify due to app restrictions. Another aspect to mention is that you need video permissions in your role to be able to share your screen within a server.
Precautions when using Discord Mobile screen sharing
When you share the screen, remember that viewers can watch whatever is visible on your phone screen. Therefore, if you have sensitive information lying around unprotected in your phone, especially in the photo gallery, you may need to verify before sharing. You can use any of these apps to hide private photos and videos.
To avoid additional overhead, the company recommends closing apps that aren’t currently in use before sharing your screen. Additionally, you can also enable Do Not Disturb mode to avoid receiving unwanted notifications and interruptions while you are in the middle of a session.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use Discord screen sharing on iPad?
No. You can’t use Discord’s screen sharing on iPads at this time. However, Discord promises to support the feature on iPads in a future release. Meanwhile, you can use services like Zoom to share your screen with your friends from iPad.
2. What is the concurrent viewer limit on Discord screen sharing?
Screen sharing streams on Discord currently support a total of 50 viewers excluding broadcaster.
3. How to share screen via Discord on iPhone?
You can follow the steps in the “Start Screen Sharing on Discord Mobile” section to get started. However, keep in mind that iOS 12 is not supported at this time.
4. I don’t see the screen sharing button on Discord. What should I do?
If you don’t see the screen share button, make sure you’ve updated the Discord app to the latest version available on Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
5. Can I watch Netflix with friends via Discord screen sharing?
Unfortunately, you can’t use Discord’s mobile screen sharing to watch Netflix with your friends. You can check our guide offering apps to watch movies with friends online.
Use Discord Screen Sharing on Android and iOS
So this is it. Although it took Discord a while to add screen sharing to its mobile app, especially since its desktop counterpart offered the feature as of 2017, I’m glad the company finally decided to add the feature. When I tried the feature, the video output sounded pretty decent without any significant latency. Whether it’s sharing gameplay from your favorite game or watching a hilarious video with your friends, Discord’s screen sharing has you covered. Happy sharing and don’t hesitate to contact me in the comments if you have any questions.
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