Can you access PlayStation screenshots on phone?

Everyone who likes video games has wanted to share a cool moment or a hilarious glitch they saw with their friends. With both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, that’s never been easier.

Just like the PS4 and Xbox One, both consoles come with buttons on their respective controllers dedicated entirely to capturing screenshots and clips. However, you used to have to upload those screenshots to Twitter, OneDrive, or a USB device in order to get them off the consoles and onto your phone, where it’s easiest to share them. By the grace of the universe, that’s no longer the case.

Here’s how to automagically beam captures from either of these gaming consoles to your mobile device.

How to send PS5 captures to your phone

Can you access PlayStation screenshots on phone?

This is where captures live on the PlayStation app. Credit: Screenshot: PlayStation / Alex Perry

Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are capable of connecting to special mobile apps you can find on your device’s app store, which is the key to making all this capture magic happen. In order to get screenshots from your PS5 to your phone without posting them to Twitter first, download the PlayStation app on iOS or Android. You’ll also want to make sure your PS5’s system software is up to date.

Once you’ve logged into your PlayStation Network account on both the PS5 and in the mobile app, open it and click on the tab along the bottom row that shows six squares set behind a silhouette of the PlayStation controller to access your Game Library. Then, at the top of the screen, switch from “Games” to “Captures.” You should get a prompt to allow automatic capture uploads from the console to the app. Say yes, or else you will have just wasted a lot of time reading this article.

And that’s it! From now on, any screenshot or clip (that’s shorter than three minutes long) you capture using the DualSense's dedicated share button (located to the left of the touchpad) will automatically appear in that section of the mobile app, where it will stay for 14 days. You’ll be able to save and share them from the app as you see fit.

Couldn’t be easier.

How to send Xbox Series S/X captures to your phone

Can you access PlayStation screenshots on phone?

Captures galore. Credit: Screenshot: Xbox / Alex Perry

For Xbox users, the process of getting clips from your console to your phone is pretty much exactly the same as it is on PS5. The one difference is that you actually have to do a little less work. We love to hear it.

Download the Xbox app and sign into your Xbox account. Obviously, make sure you’re signed in on the Xbox, too. By default, all captures taken with the share button (located to the left of the home button on the Xbox controller) are uploaded to the “Xbox Network,” a fancy name for a cloud server that can be accessed from the Xbox app. To do so, open the app and go to the tab on the bottom row marked by three vertical lines (with the rightmost line leaning against the other two). 

Your captures live here. To test it out, take a screenshot in-game, wait like 30 seconds, and then open the app to see if it’s there. If this isn’t working, you might have to enable automatic uploads. It should be on by default, but hey, weird things happen sometimes. To do that, follow these simple steps:

  1. Press the Xbox home button on the controller

  2. Navigate to “Profile & System”

  3. Go to “Settings”

  4. Go to “Preferences”

  5. Go to “Capture & Share”

  6. Toggle “Automatically upload” on

If that still doesn’t work for some reason, you can manually upload any capture to the Xbox Network by hitting the button to the left of the home button, selecting the individual screenshot or video you want, and then selecting “Upload.” Give it a little bit of time and it should appear in the Xbox app.

If you love sharing your gaming moments with your buds, using automatic capture uploads on either console will make your life so much easier.

As the new generation of Sony consoles dawned upon us, the PlayStation App went through its own transformation. It received a much-needed facelift, thanks to a new attractive UI. However, it seems that Sony is interested in expanding the companion app’s functionality as well.

In a recent announcement, Sony revealed a feature that allows media captured on PS5 to automatically appear on the PlayStation App, which is available for Android and iOS. This means you can access your PS5 screenshots and videos on the smartphone app directly – similar to the functionality rival console Xbox already offers.

Importantly, this feature is out for beta testing right now in Japan and Canada exclusively. However, it won’t be surprising if this new addition eventually makes its way to other regions as well. To try this feature out, you just have to download the latest PS App as there is no separate beta registration for this.

A limited-release beta enabling PS5 players in Canada and Japan to share their captured screenshots and game clips through PlayStation App is starting to roll out today. For details, check out: https://t.co/afVHXLbJsZ pic.twitter.com/WMVWqHP1GY

— PlayStation Canada (@PlayStationCA) October 18, 2021

How To View PS5 Screenshots & Videos On PS App

For this to work, link your PS5 to the PS App on your smartphone. Also, make sure the “Stay Connected to the Internet” setting for Rest Mode is turned on. After this, you’ll need to enable the feature on your console and on the app, so keep both of them handy.

  1. In the PlayStation app, tap on the Game Library icon.
  2. Go to “Captures” and select “Enable.”
  3. On your PS5, open the Media Gallery and accept the pop-up invite.
  4. If you accepted the invite, skip to Step 7. Otherwise, go to Settings on your PS5 and follow the next steps:
  5. Select “Captures and Broadcasts” and then select “Captures.”
  6. Now, enable “Auto-upload.”
  7. To view your PS5 captures on the app, open the Game Library again and select “Captures.”

When viewing a captured image or video on the PS App, you can download, share, or check out more details about it.

How Your PS5 Media Syncs With The PS App

According to PlayStation’s website, once you enable the new feature, whatever media you capture on your PS5 from that point onwards will automatically appear on your smartphone app. Obviously, your phone and your console must have an internet connection for this to work seamlessly.

It’s worth noting that the auto-captures for trophies and activity challenges won’t transfer over to your phone. Only manual capture in your PS5 gallery can make the cut.

Can you access PlayStation screenshots on phone?

These manually captured pictures and videos are accessible via the PS App for up to 14 days after upload. However, videos that are longer than 3 minutes or have a resolution higher than 1920×1080 won’t be uploaded.

Also, you can’t manually upload media to your PS App. Therefore, there is no way to transfer the content you captured before enabling the beta feature to the app. Moreover, the captures you delete on your PS5 won’t vanish from the PS App, hence making it clear that the PS5 gallery and the PS App gallery are virtually independent of each other.

Finally, as a relief for those who don’t do subscriptions, this cross-device media sync feature is not PS Plus exclusive and is available for everyone in the aforementioned countries.

Priye Rai

Priye is a tech writer who writes about anything remotely related to tech, including gaming, smartphones, social media, etc. He prefers to be called a "video game journalist" and grimaces when he doesn't get to be "Player 1." If you want to share feedback or talk about games, reach out to @priyeakapj on Twitter.

Can you view PlayStation screenshots on phone?

Once you have enabled auto-upload, any supported screenshots and video clips captured on your PS5 console will be automatically uploaded. You can see them on PlayStation App by selecting Library > Captures. When viewing a capture on PlayStation App you can: Select Download to save the capture to your device.

Can you access ps4 screenshots from app?

All you need to do is update your app to the latest version and you're good to test the feature out. If you want to test the new sharing feature, then fire the app up, then head to the Library. Find Captures in here and your screenshots/videos should be available. Now you can select to Download them or Share them.

Can you see your PS5 screenshots on your phone?

You can share your screenshots from the PS5 to your mobile, simply by using the Auto-Upload feature that Sony brought to PlayStation and the associated mobile app in 2022. Enabling the feature is a simple process.

How do I transfer screenshots from PS5 to phone?

Open the PS App and tap the Game Library icon. Select the new Captures menu. Browse through, and save, your screenshots and clips to your smartphone.