5 Things the iPhone Camera App Cannot Do While Recording Video (and How to Do Them)

1. Keep the screen dark while recording

Locking the phone stops the recording, and the brightness slider never goes fully dark. A Blackout mode turns the screen black the moment you record, keeps a small indicator and timer visible, and comes back with a double tap. Full guide: record video with the screen off.

2. Keep the horizon level automatically

The Camera app's Level option only draws a guide line; it does not fix the tilt. A Level mode reads the motion sensors and counter-rotates the picture live, so the horizon stays straight while you walk. Full guide: keep the horizon level.

3. Record the front and back camera together

The hardware can run two cameras at once on iPhone XS and later, but the Camera app records one. A Dual mode records both into one file with a movable picture-in-picture. Full guide: record both cameras at the same time.

4. Blur the background on any iPhone

Cinematic mode needs a recent iPhone and picks its own subject. A Blur mode uses on-device person segmentation to keep people sharp and soften everything else, with a strength you control. Full guide: blur the background while recording.

5. Keep recordings out of Photos until you say so

Everything the Camera app records goes to Photos and iCloud Photos instantly. A recorder with its own library keeps clips private, lets you lock them with Face ID, and only saves to Photos on request. Full guide: keep private videos out of Photos.

All five live in one free app, Multi-mode Video Recorder, alongside microphone selection, square and vertical frames, HEVC or H.264 and optional HDR. It is not a replacement for the Camera app's 4K and photo features; it is the tool for the recordings the Camera app was never built for.