InspectCam

Free on Google Play

Flashlight and camera on at the same time — for inspecting dark, tight spaces

On iPhone and most Android phones, the flashlight switches off the second you open the camera. On Android, InspectCam holds both on together — so you can see into dark, tight spaces and take the photo without losing the light.

Free to use · No ads · Android only

A real InspectCam screenshot: the phone's light on inside a dark engine bay, zoomed out to 0.6×, with the Photo, Video and Light on controls along the bottom.

Why your flashlight goes out when you open the camera

The LED beside your camera is the camera's flash, not a separate torch. Open a camera app and it takes the flash with it. Your light dies. This is true on both platforms.

Setting flash to "on" doesn't fix it — that fires at the moment of capture. It lights the photo, not the preview. You're still aiming blind.

InspectCam holds the light on with a live view, so nothing is fighting for the LED. Full explanation, and the video-mode workaround.

Three levels

Free and Premium are set. Pro is planned — see the note below.

Free

$0

In the app today

  • The light comes on when you open the app and stays on: through photos, through video, and when you come back to it
  • See what the camera sees
  • Take photos
  • Record video, with sound
  • Never stops your music, even while you record — why most apps do
  • One-tap zoom levels — whichever ones your phone exposes
  • Pinch to zoom, and reset zoom
  • Both cameras on screen at once. The front one is a second view, not a second recording, and only some phones can do it
  • Tap the screen to focus
  • A marker shows when focus is held — tap to release
  • Screen won't sleep while you're working
  • Use the screen as a selfie light for video, with your camera view in a window you can move and resize
  • Shortcut through to your gallery

Pro

Coming soon

For documentation and reporting.

Pro will add

  • Group photos and videos into jobs, by vehicle, unit or property
  • Date, time and location stamped onto every capture
  • Export a PDF report you can send to a customer, tenant or insurer

Premium is a one-time $6.99 unlock, bought inside the app through Google Play. The free version is fully usable without it. Pro isn't built and has no date.

What's in each level
FeatureFreePremiumPro — coming soon
Light comes on at launch and stays on through photo and videoYesYesYes
See what the camera seesYesYesYes
Take photosYesYesYes
Record video, with soundYesYesYes
Never stops your music, even while you recordYesYesYes
One-tap zoom levels — whichever ones your phone exposesYesYesYes
Pinch to zoomYesYesYes
Reset zoomYesYesYes
Both cameras on screen at once — front is a view, not a second recording, and only some phones canYesYesYes
Tap the screen to focusYesYesYes
A marker shows when focus is heldYesYesYes
Screen won't sleep while you're workingYesYesYes
Use the screen itself as a lampYesYesYes
Move and resize the lamp windowYesYesYes
Shortcut through to your galleryYesYesYes
Countdown before the photo is taken—NoYesYes
Lock the screen so a stray hand can't turn your light off—NoYesYes
Dim the light: the screen lamp on any phone, the rear LED only where the phone allows it—NoYesYes
Volume buttons: shutter, zoom or brightness—NoYesYes
Flip the picture left-to-right—NoYesYes
Group photos and videos into jobs, by vehicle, unit or property—No—NoYes
Date, time and location stamped onto every capture—No—NoYes
Export a PDF report you can send to a customer, tenant or insurer—No—NoYes

Where it earns its place

  • A real InspectCam screenshot under a kitchen sink: the supply hoses and shut-off valves lit by the phone's light.
    Under the sink
  • A real InspectCam screenshot behind a wall-mounted TV: the ports on its back lit by the phone's light, with a fingertip at the top of the frame.
    Behind the TV

Real screenshots from the app, taken on a phone. No edits.

  • Engine bays

    Read a part number behind the block on the screen, with the light already on. No third hand for a torch.

  • Wall cavities

    Checking a stud line or a cable run through a hole too small to look through.

  • Under sinks

    See the back of a trap or a shut-off valve in a cupboard with no light, or record a short video of the drip to show someone. The light stays on while you record.

  • Crawlspaces and lofts

    A light that stays on and a live view, so the phone goes where your head will not. Record a short video to show someone what is up there.

  • Behind the furniture

    Something down the back of the sofa, a drawer or a car seat. The light is on as the camera opens, so you can see where it went before you move anything.

  • Behind the TV

    See which cable goes where before you unplug anything. Read the port labels on the screen, or record a short video first.

  • Breaker boxes

    Tiny labels in a closet with no light. Pinch or tap a zoom preset to get close, then tap the label to focus.

Somewhere hot, like an engine bay or a loft in summer: if your phone gets very hot, Android may switch the light off to protect it. That's a safeguard, not a fault.

Guides

Answers to the questions a store listing can't cover. Written by Andre Gaz, who builds the app.

All guides, by topic

What it asks of you

  • No ads
  • The free version is fully usable on its own

Using a borescope with your phone?

The compatibility list is empty for now: no scope is listed until one has been connected and verified, with the date. If a scope isn't being detected, the Android troubleshooting page works through the causes in order. On iPhone, start with why USB borescopes don't work there.

Get InspectCam

InspectCam is on Google Play for Android. There is no iPhone version, and no date to promise for one.