TL;DR: On iPhone, tap a screenshot’s thumbnail before it disappears to open Markup, then draw, write, or add shapes, and save or share the annotated image when you’re done.

Open the screenshot in Markup

After you take a screenshot, tap the thumbnail before it disappears. That opens the editor with Markup tools, which is the part where your screenshot stops being a screenshot and starts becoming a tiny annotated crime scene, in the best possible way. Apple’s screenshot flow exposes these editing tools right away, so you can mark up the image before saving or sharing it. This overview of iPhone Markup also describes the same basic path.

Use the Markup tools to add your note

Once Markup is open, you can draw with your finger, use the pen tools to write a short note, add shapes like arrows or circles, and zoom in if you need more precision. That zoom step matters when you are trying to circle one tiny button instead of highlighting half the screen like a caffeinated highlighter gremlin. If you make a mistake, use erase or undo to clean it up and keep the annotation readable.

Save, share, or discard the annotated screenshot

When the edit looks right, tap Done to finish. From there, you can keep the annotated version in Photos, or share it directly without losing the markup. If the result is messy, just discard it and take another pass. No one needs a screenshot with three half-finished arrows and a mystery squiggle.

When to use a screenshot annotation for App Store work

Annotated screenshots are handy when you need to give internal feedback, file a bug report, review localization, or prep screenshot captions. They help the person on the other end see exactly what you mean, which is useful when captions and visuals need to match. If you are working on store assets, this pairs well with how to write App Store screenshot captions that read fast, because the caption and the markup often do the same job from different angles.

Worked example: marking a screenshot for App Store review notes

Say you have a screenshot of a settings screen and you want a designer to notice one mislabeled toggle. Open the screenshot in Markup, circle the toggle, and add a short label like “Copy change here.” Then save the annotated image and send it to the designer or reviewer. That gives them one clear target instead of a vague “something feels off here,” which is not a technical term, despite the popularity of pretending it is.