Blackout Camera vs Screen Off Recorder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blackout Camera
Read full descriptionHide full description
Screen off. Still recording. Record at night without screen glare. Blackout Camera gives iPhone and iPad a dim red interface and, with Blackout Pro, manual controls and a black recording screen, so your eyes stay adjusted and your surroundings stay dark. NEW IN 1.5.8 • Mark frames: save the moments that matter as full-resolution stills or one labelled contact sheet (Pro). • Blackout Glance: while recording with the screen off, a tap shows the take's time, storage left and battery in dim red. • Faster photos: take the next shot while the last is still processing. Every photo gets full-quality processing. • Smoother camera, lens and Photo/Video switching. A CAMERA WORKFLOW FOR DARK SHOOTS Keep attention on the scene with a dim red interface. After initial setup and permissions, use the Home Screen widget or supported system controls to open the app and start recording with your chosen setup. Press and hold anywhere for about a second to wake the black screen. Apple's camera and microphone indicators remain visible. Keep the app open: locking the phone or leaving the app can interrupt capture. SHAPE YOUR LOOK WITH BLACKOUT PRO Adjust ISO, shutter, focus and white balance. Check exposure and focus with monitoring tools. Natural grade gives Rec.709 video restrained color, a softer tone curve and a touch of warmth, with the graded image in the preview and saved recording. Pro also includes Astro frame stacking, time-lapse and advanced camera formats. 4K, higher frame rates, ProRes, HDR, Apple Log, ProRAW and high-resolution photos depend on your device, lens and settings. FRAME IT. KEEP IT. See the whole photo composition that will be saved. Choose the full image or 4:3, 1:1 and 16:9 crops at the original image resolution, without upscaling. ProRAW keeps the full sensor image. Open a video from the in-app Library or Files, select a moment and export a full-resolution SDR PNG to Files. The still uses the video's frame resolution; HDR video is tone-mapped to SDR. Photo framing and single-frame export are free; marking frames and contact sheets are part of Pro. Take photos and record video up to 1080p at 30 fps for free, with advertising. Capturing with the screen off and the advanced tools described above require Blackout Pro, subject to existing Basic access below. Save to Apple Photos, the in-app Library, the Pro Private Folder, or a combination. The Private Folder uses device biometrics or a passcode; existing files remain accessible when your subscription ends. No app account is required. Media is processed on your device; you control export and sharing. Apple Photos and device backups follow your Apple settings. Existing Basic subscribers keep black-screen capture and an ad-free experience. A device passcode is required to protect the Private Folder. SUBSCRIPTIONS Pro offers optional monthly or yearly auto-renewable subscriptions. Your localized price, billing period and any eligible introductory offer are shown before purchase. Apple charges your account at confirmation or after an applicable free trial. The subscription renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Restore Purchases is available in the app. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mwsupplylimited.github.io/blackoutcamera/privacy.html
Screen Off Recorder
Read full descriptionHide full description
Screen Off Recorder is a native iOS camera app built for outdoor POV and long takes. Mount your iPhone and keep recording through hikes, runs, ski days, and road trips—or set it on a desk tripod for classes and meetings. It supports front+back dual camera, Apple Watch remote control, and album timestamps. THE CORE IDEA While recording, tap Screen Off: a near-black full-screen overlay lowers brightness to save power, stay cool, and prevent accidental taps. Recording continues as long as the app stays in the foreground. Tap to wake the controls, then Stop & Save to Photos or discard the clip. A SIMPLER CAMERA SCREEN (1.7) • Turn dual cam on or off with one tap at the top right; long-press it for quick layout, aspect, and border options • The Adjust panel at the top right holds every shooting setting: quality, frame rate, stabilization, and default lens in single cam; layout, aspect, border, and frame rate in dual cam—with a live preview above • The album button at the bottom left includes tools to timestamp videos from Photos; while recording, it becomes the Screen Off button • Faster, more reliable switching between single and dual cam DUAL CAMERA • Record front and back cameras at once into a single video in Photos—capture the view and your reaction together • Picture-in-picture: drag the inset, resize with the corner handle or a pinch; aspects 16:9 / 1:1 / 4:5 / 5:4 / 9:16; position and size are remembered • Long-edge split: top/bottom in portrait, left/right in landscape • Border styles: None, Thin white, Thick white, Black, Soft white • Tap the inset or the bottom-right button to swap views; Apple Watch preview follows the current primary view • Requires iPhone XS/XR or later (A12+), or iPad with A12X or later. Stabilization and lens switching are unavailable in dual-cam mode DYNAMIC TIMESTAMP • Open the album button at the bottom left, pick a video, and burn in a clock that advances with the capture time • Six positions with live preview; multiple styles (classic, outline, yellow, cyan, red, and more) • Saves a new video and keeps the original; HDR / Dolby Vision sources export as SDR LONG TAKES, LESS WORRY • Dark Screen Off overlay; the recording indicator stays visible • Auto Save & Continue (off by default): every 5/10/15/30/60 minutes, save the current clip to Photos and immediately continue • Stop & Save ends the session after saving the current clip; Discard drops only the unsaved segment APPLE WATCH REMOTE • Start/stop and save, preview the shot, enter Screen Off, and adjust settings from your wrist • Live preview mirrors your iPhone framing (unavailable while recording); follows the primary view in dual cam • The Watch app installs with the iPhone app HOW IT WORKS • Native Swift + AVFoundation—not a WebView shell • Single cam: frame rates, 1080p/4K, Ultra Wide / Wide / Telephoto (device-dependent), zoom, tap to focus, motion stabilization (best at 1080p + Ultra Wide) • Tap Screen Off while recording, or let it turn on ~3 seconds after you start • Orientation follows how you hold the phone PRIVACY & DATA • No account required • No upload to our servers—videos are saved to your on-device Photos library • iCloud Photos sync, if enabled, is managed by Apple IMPORTANT NOTES • Screen Off is an in-app blackout—not recording after the side-button hardware lock. Keep the app in the foreground. • Dual cam uses more power and generates more heat than single cam; watch battery and temperature on long takes. • Timestamps are on-device post-processing, not burned in live while recording. • Auto-save creates separate clips with a brief gap between them. • Watch preview and instant remote control require the iPhone app in the foreground. • Green/orange privacy indicators while recording are normal on iOS. • Record only where you have permission and follow local laws. Screen Off Recorder—you just go. The camera keeps rolling.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Blackout Camera at Free against Screen Off Recorder's $1.99. Blackout Camera also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). Screen Off Recorder's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ads (none vs shown).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Blackout Camera is free to download; Screen Off Recorder costs $1.99 up front. Blackout Camera sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Screen Off Recorder asks for nothing beyond the download.
Blackout Camera ships an update every 3 days, Screen Off Recorder every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blackout Camera | Screen Off Recorder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matthew Wong | Wujie Yibang (fuzhou) Software Technology Co., Ltd |
In-app purchases
Blackout Camera
- Blackout Basic7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Blackout Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Blackout Basic7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Blackout Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- 150 Tokens$0.99
- 550 Tokens$2.99
- 1,500 Tokens$6.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 3,600 Tokens$14.99
Screen Off Recorder
No in-app purchases








