Halcyon Camera vs TimeBack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Halcyon Camera
Capture photos and videos with the authentic look and feel of classic film stocks. Offers professional manual controls, advanced editing tools, and various shooting modes like long exposure and slow-motion.
- Authentic film stock simulations
- Full manual camera controls
- Long exposure and slow-motion video
- WYSIWYG editing with film simulation
- Pro video recording options
- Built-in pro overlays and grids
Read full descriptionHide full description
Halcyon brings the soul of film to your iPhone. Twelve hand-crafted film stocks — Kodak Portra 400, Cinestill 800T, Velvia 50, Tri-X 400 and more — each with the temperature, tone curve, grain, and halation of the real thing. Apply them live, before you take the shot, and what you see is exactly what you get. REAL PRO CONTROLS, ONE-HANDED. Full manual ISO, shutter, focus, white balance, and exposure. Tap to focus. Long-press for AE/AF lock. Pinch to zoom. Volume buttons fire the shutter. Lens switcher for ultrawide, wide, telephoto. Halide-style focus loupe magnifies the sharpness plane as you rack focus. Histogram, waveform, focus peaking, zebras, false color, horizon level — when you need them, hidden when you don't. NEW IN 3.2 — LONG EXPOSURE, SLOW-MO, LIVE PHOTO. • Multi-frame long exposure — 2, 5, 10, or 20 second stacks with automatic alignment for handheld light trails, silky water, and star fields • Slow-motion capture at 120fps and 240fps • Live Photo for every film stock — the frames before and after, with the film baked in • Thermal and storage health warnings before a long take can bite you • Alternate app icons: Amber, Midnight, Noir BUILT-IN PRO OVERLAYS. • Histogram — real-time RGB • Waveform — luminance monitor • Focus peaking — see what's sharp • Focus loupe — Halide-style magnifier • Zebras — highlight clipping alert • False color — exposure map • Horizon level — stop crooked photos • Rule-of-thirds grid • Cinematic frame modes — square, 3:2, 16:9, half-frame • Live ISO / shutter chips PRO VIDEO WITH FILM SIMULATION. Record HEVC, ProRes 422 HQ, or Apple Log with the film baked in. Cinematic 24fps, 4K, live audio, plus 120/240fps slow-motion. EVERYTHING IS YOURS. WYSIWYG: every effect — film, grain, halation — is baked into the saved photo. ProRAW is preserved as alternate. Create custom film recipes with a 14-slider editor. Save them, share them, refine them. YOUR PHOTOS STAY ON YOUR DEVICE. No analytics. No data collection. No network requests. Nothing leaves your iPhone. Made with care for everyone who misses film.
TimeBack
This camera app continuously buffers recent footage, allowing you to save moments that have already happened. Capture unexpected events without constantly recording, saving storage space and battery life. Offers advanced controls and multiple recording options for various scenarios.
- Continuous pre-recording buffer
- Instant replay saving
- 4K video recording
- Pro camera controls (ISO, shutter, WB)
- Quick recording via volume buttons
- Voice control for recording
- Power-saving mode
Read full descriptionHide full description
TimeBack is a pre-recording camera and instant replay camera that continuously buffers recent footage, so when something happens, just press record to save what happened before and after. No need to record continuously while waiting, helping you avoid unwanted footage and save storage space. Perfect for fishing, sports, travel, pets, family moments, and everyday life. 【Key Features】 PRE-RECORDING CAMERA Set the pre-record duration for up to 2 minutes. 4K VIDEO RECORDING Record clear, detailed videos in up to 4K resolution. PRO CAMERA CONTROLS Adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure, and more. QUICK RECORDING Start or stop recording with the volume buttons. VOICE CONTROL Start or stop recording with voice commands. POWER-SAVING RECORDING Reduce screen power consumption during long recordings. VIDEO MANAGEMENT Review, organize, and export your videos in the app. 【USE CASES】 FISHING Wait for the bite and capture the moment the fish takes the bait. SPORTS Capture unexpected highlights while skiing, cycling, skating, playing basketball, football, tennis, and more. TRAVEL & OUTDOOR MOMENTS Record scenery and unexpected moments along the way. BABIES & FAMILY Capture first steps, funny expressions, spontaneous reactions, playtime, and other moments that happen before you have time to press record. PETS Catch your cat or dog running, getting into mischief, or being playful. DRIVING & DASHCAM Use TimeBack as a flexible camera with a replay buffer when you want to preserve something that just happened. Save recent footage without keeping every minute as a permanent video file. 【FAQ】 Q1: What is pre-recording? A: Pre-recording is TimeBack's core feature. The camera continuously buffers recent footage. When you press record, the buffered footage and live recording are saved together as one video, capturing the full moment before and after the action. Q2: Does pre-recording use a lot of storage? A: No. Buffered footage isn't continuously saved as video files. Only the footage you choose to record is saved. Otherwise, the buffer continuously overwrites itself, using less storage than recording continuously for a long time. Q3: Can I use TimeBack without pre-recording? A: Yes. TimeBack also works as a regular camera with 4K video recording, camera controls, and voice control. Simply turn off pre-recording when you don't need it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TimeBack at 100% against Halcyon Camera's 0%. TimeBack also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Halcyon Camera ships an update every 2 days, TimeBack daily. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Halcyon Camera | TimeBack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Birkan Aksoy | MEETFIRE LIMITED |
Customer experience
Halcyon Camera
TimeBack
In-app purchases
Halcyon Camera
No in-app purchases
TimeBack
No in-app purchases







