Sometimes you just want to “save” what you actually/currently see on you iPhone screen – you need to take an actual screenshot. Maybe you want to take a screenshot of a website so you “remember” it in the current state for later debugging. Or maybe you want to take a picture of a certain area or a detail on your Google Maps app, a special/funny point of view on Google street view  – or just a funny combination of angry birds and green pigs in your favorite game – there is a million good reasons to take a screenshot on an iPhone every now and then.

I actually sometimes take a screenshot of my position shown in a map (I love OffMaps) and then email it or send it though iMessage to somebody who asks me where I am. A great and easy way to exactly show the actual location – often easier than describing it, especially when you’re in a park or in a huge building or the like.

Now the good news is: taking a screenshot on the iPhone is of course possible – and it’s way easier than you might have thought. You don’t need to install another app and you don’t need to be a geek to take a screenshot and save the current screen to your images. If you just want to save whatever you iPhone’s screen is currently showing to you, there is a built in easy to use screenshot function, that a.f.a.I.k. will work in whatever app you have running.

Enough introduction: here’s the three two easy steps to take:

1. push and hold the home button
2. tap on the on/off button once

If you have sound switched on, you should hear the familiar “camera sound”. Then you just have to start up your photos app and you’ll find the screenshot saved as the newest picture. From here on you have all the options you have with any images – you can send the screenshot by email, you can sync it to your iPhoto app – or (of course) you can just delete it.

But before wildly taking and publishing screenshots you should be aware that most of what you see on your iPhone probably is copyrighted design / art work. Of course under certain circumstances you are allowed to use screenshots to illustrate e.g. articles, if referenced correctly. On the other hand you should always be careful when using other people’s intellectual property..:P