# Record from iOS widgets and Control Center

> Start a Canto recording from the home-screen widget, Control Center, the Lock Screen, or the Action Button, and follow it in the Live Activity.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/recording/ios-widgets-live-activity/

On iOS you can start a recording without opening the app: from the **Start recording** home-screen widget, and on iOS 18 from a Control Center control that also works on the Lock Screen and the Action Button. While recording, a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen shows the timer.

## How do I add the home-screen widget?

1. Touch and hold the home screen, then tap **Edit** and **Add Widget**.
2. Search for Canto and add the **Start recording** widget.
3. Tap the widget any time — Canto opens and recording starts immediately.

The widget is the fastest reliable path from "something worth recording is happening" to a running recorder.

## How do I record from Control Center? (iOS 18)

1. Open Control Center and touch and hold to enter editing, then choose **Add a Control**.
2. Find the Canto recording control and place it.
3. Tapping the control starts a recording.

The same control can go on your **Lock Screen** (customize the Lock Screen and pick it as one of the two bottom shortcuts) and on the **Action Button** (Settings → Action Button → Controls) on iPhones that have one. All three are the identical control — set up whichever you'll actually reach for.

## What does the Live Activity show?

Once recording starts, a Live Activity appears in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen with the running timer. It's a glanceable answer to "is it still recording?" without unlocking the phone or switching apps. Tap it to jump back into the recorder — where the pause, **End**, and **Discard recording** controls, plus title, notes, and bookmarks, live. See [Add bookmarks and notes while recording](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/bookmarks-and-notes/)

## FAQ

### The widget or control asks me to sign in

Recording needs a signed-in account, since the audio uploads to it. Open the app and sign in once; the shortcuts work from then on. See [Download Canto and sign in](https://usecanto.com/help/getting-started/download-and-sign-in/)

### Does starting from a widget change anything about the recording?

No — it's a normal recording. It uploads and transcribes the same way and lands in your library. See [How does Canto process recordings?](https://usecanto.com/help/getting-started/how-canto-works/)

### I don't see the Control Center control

The control requires iOS 18. On iOS 17, use the home-screen widget instead.

### Is there an Apple Watch app?

No. Recording starts from the iPhone — widget, Control Center, Action Button, or the app.

Related articles:

- [Record from the Android widget and tile](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/android-widget-quick-tile/)
- [Does Canto record in the background?](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/background-recording/)
- [Start, pause, and resume a recording](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/start-pause-stop/)