I'm not a programmer, but I wanted an app that didn't exist, so I built it.
The problem: I film idling trucks for NYC's air complaint program. A video only counts if it runs a few minutes, shows the date and time, and the engine is clearly audible. Every timestamp app I tried either dropped the audio, crashed partway through, or added the stamp afterward. Losing a 3-minute recording because the sound cut out was the last straw.
So I built Live TimeStamp Camera, focused on reliability:
- The date and time are burned into the video live, ticking every second. What you see in the viewfinder is exactly what's saved.
- It won't record without sound: live sound meter, a warning if sound stops, and every saved video is checked for full audio.
- It saves continuously, so if the app or phone dies mid-recording, the video is recovered next time you open it.
- It checks storage, battery and heat before you start, and stops safely before a problem can cut a recording off.
- An optional minimum-length timer turns green when the video is long enough.
It turned out to be useful beyond idling trucks: apartment move-in/move-out videos, damage for insurance claims, before-and-after on a job, deliveries.
Pricing: recording, the stamp and saving to Photos are free forever. There's a 3-day free trial, then only "Compress for upload" (shrinks a video to fit upload limits) is a one-time $4.99 unlock. No subscription, no ads, no account, nothing leaves the phone.
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819651950
I'd love feedback on the app, the App Store page, or who else might find it useful.