Discord is a category-specific chat, video, and voice platform because it’s popular with developers, industry influencers, and most importantly gamers.
Previously, you could only screen share Discord in the desktop version, but smartphone apps have recently taken off. This feature allows Android OS users to share their device screens with their peers or friends.
The Discord Android app has grown exponentially with features that help share gameplay videos or chat screens with the goal of providing effective interaction.
What is Discord and why screen sharing?
Discord is a proprietary Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP application that has been around since 2015. It is a freeware or free download platform that was developed with the gaming community in mind.
Available for iOS, Android, and Windows OS, Discord can also be downloaded on Linux, Mac OS and used directly in web browsers. Users can share images, text messages, audio files, and videos, while since 2017 screen sharing has been added to desktop versions.
Any user on your chat server can interact with your screen and share calls or video features for social, work, or gaming groups.
This is an incredibly useful and free feature, making Discord a worthy competitor to other video calling and conferencing apps on the market. The messaging app, especially on the mobile platform, is notorious for not pulling excessive bandwidth while streaming video or gaming.
Can you share your live video or audio stream with other Discord users?
Over the past two years, the Discord app for Android has grown in functionality with enhancements for the global chat and video conferencing market. The app has seen the addition of QR code logins, slash command support, voice overlays, mute specific conversations, and noise cancellation features.
Early last month, a string of new codes appeared on an XDA teardown and the GitHub code repository. These revealed that Discord is working to bring the screen sharing feature to its Android app.
The move is synonymous with Discord’s shift from a specific gamer brand to a chat and video conferencing platform for everyone.
Additionally, screen sharing can be used while playing games, which is the basis of the existence of Discords.
How to access screen sharing on the Discord Android app
The video feature of Discord for Android allows you to share your screen, webcam or voice on any channel. When you’re on Discord, your smartphone screen can be shown to those you choose to share it with, along with screenshots or voice clips.
You can learn how to access screen sharing for Discord on Android through the app’s help section of the app, or use the following steps;
- Join a Discord voice channel of your choice
- At the bottom left of the app screen, tap the video camera icon.
- You might need to allow the notification to grant app permissions to Discord.
- Press the camera button to enable sharing of the voice capabilities of the camera and microphone with anyone on your channel
This process works great on smartphones, tablets, and other supported devices that use Android 7.0 and above. Android uses the least allocation of bandwidth and will have good quality within the 3G or 4G network.
Useful Features of Video Screen Sharing Feature on Discord for Android
When sharing video or voice within your server and channel, several advanced options are available. The following sections will be useful for those who use Discord for Android;
Audio output
This function allows you to direct your audio output to the device’s default speakers or wireless headphones via Bluetooth, for example.
Camera switch
This icon allows you to switch between rear camera and front camera and looks like a camera icon surrounded by a double-sided arrow.
Activate / deactivate the camera
You can turn your device’s camera on or off while screen sharing on the Android Discord app. Tap the toggle button to turn your camera and video feed on or off.
Activate / deactivate sound
You can mute your phone’s microphone during screen sharing on Discord for Android by pressing the mute / unmute button. This button is located at the bottom center of the Discord apps video screen.
Troubleshoot Screen Sharing on the Discord Android App
When the screen sharing feature on Discord for Android is not working, it may be due to coding bugs as these features are still new. You may also get screen sharing crash or blank screen when trying to share screen, while other times there will be audio issues when video function is working.
To resolve these issues, you can try the following;
- If the audio on the Discords screen share is not working, toggle the Sound switch on and off. You can also close the app and open it again before trying to share the screen.
- If you’re having a blank or black screen sharing crash issue, restart your phone and then sign in to the Discord app again. Restart screen sharing and if the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall Discord for Android.
Discord acts as a two-way app that offers screen sharing to increase your chat or video conferencing engagements. By sharing your phone screen, you can communicate better with other gaming or code development enthusiasts, helping them understand you in a practically viable way.
Alternatives to Screen Sharing for the Discord Android App
Screen sharing is probably one of the most transparent and easy-to-use features of Discord, but Android OS offers other ways to share recordings or screenshots as well. You can use third-party screen recording apps to take screenshots or record your phone screen while gaming or coding.
Some apps integrate easily with Discord and will allow you to save screenshots or recordings to the cloud before sharing the link on your channel. The GIF recording and screenshots preview the Discord app, allowing your friends to view them without leaving the platform.
The shared link for screenshots or recordings can also be viewed by people who don’t have Discord for Android.
Conclusion
The screen sharing feature for the Discord Android app is in progress. Discord has a beta version of Android to which strings of code found in the repository will respond.
This means that the screen sharing in the app’s video feature is similar to Discord’s video streaming feature already available for their desktop version.
When the sharing function is released, you will be able to switch from the video screen to a game or any screen of your choice to share with others. Gamers and developer communities who have relied on Discord’s transparent chat, voice and video features will be able to find new ways and targets to share streaming content.