# Witness: Record Beyond Reach — Evidence That Survives > Securely record and upload encounters with law enforcement to your Google Drive. (iPhone/iPad app by Olmo Parenti.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/witness-record-beyond-reach/id6800375426 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Olmo Parenti](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800375428) - Category: Photo & Video - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 3 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 4 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Spanish - Released: 2026-08-21 - Data updated: 2026-09-08 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/witness-record-beyond-reach/id6800375426/reviews.md ## What is Witness? Witness turns your iPhone into a chain-of-custody recorder for any situation you don't feel safe in, including encounters with law enforcement, but also confrontations, harassment, workplace incidents, and anywhere you need a record without drawing attention. Footage uploads automatically as you record, so it survives even if your phone doesn't. HOW IT WORKS Start recording and the screen goes black. No live preview, no distraction, nothing for anyone to see or grab. Video uploads to your own cloud storage in small chunks, roughly every 15 seconds, so footage is already off the device before the situation even ends. SAFE EVEN IF YOUR PHONE ISN'T Footage streams out continuously, so deleting or confiscating your phone can't delete what's already been recorded. Each chunk is hashed and time stamped for a verifiable chain of custody, the kind of documentation that holds up as evidence. YOUR STORAGE, YOUR CHOICE Witness uploads directly to an account you control. Choose Google Drive, Dropbox, Nextcloud, or any WebDAV server, including one you self-host. Nothing passes through a third party server, and you can revoke access at any time. EMERGENCY CONTACT Add someone you trust as an emergency contact. They get automatic access to your footage as it uploads, so there's a second set of eyes even if you can't reach them yourself. ONE PRESS START Bind the iPhone Action Button, use the Lock Screen widget, or say "Hey Siri, start recording" to begin without unlocking or opening the app. No fumbling for a button when things are already tense. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Built in guidance on your right to record in public, with region aware notes for where you are. Not a substitute for legal advice, but a starting point. Witness is built for anyone who wants a clear, durable record of what happened, whether that's a police stop, a traffic stop, a confrontation on the street, or any encounter that feels unsafe. Nothing more. Witness Pro Monthly is an auto-renewable subscription that unlocks 4K recording, up to 60 fps, and Apple Log color capture, for $1.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://olmaster13-spec.github.io/witnessrecord-privacy/privacy.html ## Key features - Discreet recording with black screen - Real-time video upload to Google Drive - Verifiable chain of custody with hashing - Emergency contact sharing of footage - One-press start via Action Button/widget/Siri - In-app guidance on recording rights ## Recent user reviews (3 of 3) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/witness-record-beyond-reach/id6800375426/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great app for documenting police brutality situations *2026-09-05* Honestly I can’t believe something like this didn’t exist before. It just makes you feel safer when you get pulled over or when you find yourself in a possibly abusive situation (especially with police and ICE these days). ### 5/5 — Question *2026-08-31* The app is great and it's completely free, on top of that it has the ability to upload 15sec chunks to your cloud storage (hopefully more cloud options will be made available in the future). Question: how long does it take once the chunks are uploaded to the storage for them to be compiled into a stitched recording per camera? I have access to the individual chunks on Google, but the app has yet to compile the chunks into the front and rear camera videos and it's been saying "Uploading to Google Drive as [my email] for 2 days now. Wish there was at least another progress bar on when those stitched videos would be complete. ### 5/5 — One of the Best Personal Safety Apps I’ve Found *2026-08-23* This is genuinely one of the most thoughtful personal safety apps I’ve come across. It can record using both the front and rear cameras while keeping the screen dark, so you can document a situation discreetly without making it obvious that you’re recording. What really sets it apart is that it doesn’t rely on your phone surviving the encounter. While recording, it uploads the video to Google Drive in short intervals, roughly every 15 seconds. That means if your phone is taken, damaged, thrown away, or the recording is interrupted, the footage that has already uploaded is still safe. You can also have recordings sent to an emergency contact, adding another layer of protection beyond simply storing them on your own account. I can see this being incredibly valuable during an unwanted search, when being followed or harassed, or in any situation where you feel unsafe and want a record of what is happening without drawing additional attention to yourself. The fact that all of this is available for free, with no hidden fees, makes it even more impressive. So far the app has run flawlessly for me. The developers clearly put a lot of thought into what someone would actually need in a stressful situation: discreet recording, redundancy, and getting the evidence somewhere safe as quickly as possible. This is the kind of app I hope I never truly need, but I’m very glad to have it on my phone. Absolutely deserves five stars. ## Frequently asked questions about Witness ### Does Witness have ads? No, Witness is ad-free. The application does not contain any advertisements, allowing for an uninterrupted recording experience. ### What is the rating for Witness? Witness has a perfect rating of 5.0 stars based on one review. This indicates a highly positive initial reception from its users. ### How does Witness ensure footage is safe? Footage is uploaded in small chunks to your Google Drive as it's recorded, approximately every 15 seconds. This continuous streaming ensures that even if your phone is confiscated or deleted, the recorded evidence is already off the device. ### Can I start recording without unlocking my phone? Yes, Witness offers multiple convenient ways to start recording without unlocking your device. You can utilize the iPhone Action Button, the Lock Screen widget, or voice commands like 'Hey Siri, start recording'. ### Where is my recorded footage stored? All video recordings are uploaded directly to your personal Google Drive account, which you control. Witness does not store any footage on third-party servers, and you can revoke access at any time. ### What devices does Witness support? Witness is currently available for iPhone. It is designed to leverage specific iPhone features for its functionality. ### How often is Witness updated? The latest version, 1.01, was released on August 25, 2026, indicating recent development activity. The initial release was on August 21, 2026. ### What age rating is Witness? Witness has an age rating of 4+. This suggests it is suitable for a wide audience and does not contain mature content. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.1.4 (19) — 2026-09-05 Fixes a crash that could close the app while it was uploading. If it happened to you, nothing was lost, pieces stay on your phone until your storage confirms them, and the queue resumes where it stopped. Recording now follows how you are holding the phone. Filming with it held horizontally produced footage lying on its side; it comes out the right way up now, on both cameras. Uploads say more when something is wrong. If your cloud storage refuses the folder, the app tells you what the server said instead of retrying quietly forever, and a piece that has not been tried yet no longer describes itself as retrying. Long recordings stay lighter. Keeping track of the upload queue used to get slower the more you recorded; it no longer does. Also: the front camera comes back on its own once the Witness Pro capture settings allow both cameras again, and setting up WebDAV explains that Nextcloud needs an app password rather than your account password. ### 1.1.3 — 2026-09-04 Uploads, made visible. Tap the upload count on the main screen to see the queue itself: every piece still on the phone, how large it is, and how far the one in flight has got. It also shows what has already reached your storage, so after a recording you can tell what is safe rather than assuming. Pieces now upload one at a time instead of all at once. The connection is the limit either way, but taken in order each piece finishes — where before, a dozen crawled together and none of them landed. When the network is struggling, the small preview copies go up first, without waiting behind the full file they stand in for. Also in this version: • Witness Pro is now available as a one-time purchase as well as monthly. • 4K tells you the upload speed it actually needs, so the choice between quality and getting footage out is yours to make with the number in front of you. • Fixed: the front camera stayed off after switching a Pro capture setting back to a value that allows both cameras. • Fixed: a crash that could end a recording session if a file finished uploading while another upload was being prepared. ### 1.1.0 (9) — 2026-08-28 New cloud storage options available and a new Witness Pro section for professionals looking to use Witness for their filmmaking or journalistic work. ### 1.01 — 2026-08-25 Fixed upload bugs and improved logging of files on Google Drive. ### 1.0 — 2026-08-21 No release notes. ## Related topics [witness](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/witness) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-08.*