Frequently asked questions

iFieldCam is one app that turns a spare phone into an AI security camera and your everyday phone into its monitor. On each phone you choose a mode:

• Camera – the spare phone watches a room, detects people with on-device AI, records the event and alerts you.
• Monitor – your phone gets the alerts, shows all your cameras, live video and recordings, and lets you arm or disarm them.

Earlier versions came as two separate apps (iFieldCam AI and iFieldCamMonitor). Since version 2.0 everything is in the single iFieldCam app; existing cameras and accounts keep working.

• Two devices: a spare phone or tablet as the camera, and your phone as the monitor. You can also watch on a computer at monitor.ifield.io.
• Android 7.0 or newer for both Camera and Monitor mode. iOS is coming soon.
• An internet connection (Wi-Fi recommended for the camera) and a charger for the camera phone.

Not yet – iFieldCam for iPhone and iPad is coming soon. Meanwhile you can watch your cameras on an iPhone or iPad in the browser at monitor.ifield.io.

1. Install iFieldCam from Google Play on the spare phone and choose Camera.
2. Install it on your own phone and choose Monitor.
3. On the Monitor, tap Add Camera and scan the QR code shown on the camera (or type its 6-digit Camera Code).

That's it – the camera appears on your Monitor's Home screen, armed and ready. A code is valid for one hour; a new one is created automatically.

No – you can start as a guest. Signing in (with Google, or with an email and password) is recommended so your cameras stay with you when you change phones, and it is required for Premium. New accounts get a 7-day Premium trial.

Yes. Add as many cameras as you like to one Monitor, and pair one camera with several Monitor phones (for example, yours and your partner's) – each of them gets the alerts.

• Keep it 1–5 m from where people will appear, with them fully in the picture.
• Point it at entrances – doors, hallways, stairs.
• Avoid facing windows, mirrors or bright lamps; glare hides people.
• Avoid moving things in view (fans, curtains, trees) – or exclude them with Detection area.
• Keep it on a charger. A small phone stand or tripod helps.

The same tips are in the app: Camera mode → Tips.

Camera mode works while the iFieldCam screen is open – that keeps it reliable and saves battery. Turn on Power saving (or let it start automatically after a few minutes): the screen dims to almost black while the camera keeps watching, detecting and streaming. Don't press Home or the power button on the camera phone.

On the Monitor, each camera shows online / offline, whether it is Armed, and the camera phone's battery – with a charging sign while it's plugged in. In live view: the camera's name on top, then live, Armed and the battery. Keep camera phones on a charger; the battery level helps you notice when one isn't.

Tap the mode name at the top (Monitor ▾ or Camera ▾) and choose the other mode. Leaving Camera mode asks for the phone's screen lock (fingerprint, face or PIN) – or for your sign-in if the phone has no screen lock – so nobody can simply switch your camera off.

Your old camera keeps working, so you can move whenever you like. To switch a camera phone:

1. On the camera phone, install iFieldCam and choose Camera.
2. On your Monitor, tap Add camera and scan the camera's QR code. It appears as a new camera.
3. Delete the old camera's card on the Monitor, then uninstall iFieldCam AI from the camera phone.

Recordings already saved in your Google Drive stay there. New features, like Detection Area, Any motion and Arm / Disarm, come only to iFieldCam.

iFieldCam speaks English, Spanish, French, Hebrew and Arabic, following your phone's language (you can change it in Settings). The Monitor also has a Dark mode, easier on the eyes at night.

The camera phone itself runs an AI model that recognizes people in the picture. A fast motion check runs first, so the model only works when something moves – saving battery. You are alerted only when a person really moves in view, not for shadows, pets, light changes or curtains.

The analysis happens on the camera phone; video is not sent anywhere for detection.

• People – AI (recommended): alerts only when a person is detected.
• Any motion: alerts on every movement – more alerts, including pets and moving objects. Useful for places where nothing should move at all.

Change it in Camera mode → Settings → Detect. Alerts say "Human Detection Alert" or "Motion Detection Alert" accordingly.

Yes – Camera mode → Settings → Detection area. Tap squares over a TV, a window onto the street or a moving plant; movement there never triggers an alert.

Armed: the camera detects and alerts. Disarmed: it keeps running (you can still watch live) but sends no alerts – for example while you're at home.

• Arm or disarm on the camera (Camera mode → Detection) or remotely from the Monitor (the Arm chip on each camera, or Arm all).
• After arming there is an exit delay (60 seconds by default) so you can leave the room.
• Detection also pauses for a few seconds whenever the camera phone itself is moved, to avoid false alerts.

Yes – Camera mode → Settings → Sensitivity: Low, Medium (default) or High. Lower it if you get alerts you don't need, raise it for large rooms or distant entrances.

On a detection the camera records a short video and every paired Monitor gets a push notification. While the same activity continues, further alerts are held back for about 3 minutes, so you aren't flooded with notifications.

Yes, anytime and without limits Free – tap a camera on the Monitor's Home screen. From the live view you can also:

• switch the camera's front/back lens, turn on its flashlight, sound a siren, record a clip;
• turn the camera's sound on or off on your phone (speaker button);
• 2-way talk and zoom Premium;
• Picture-in-Picture – keep watching in a small window while you use other apps Premium (Android).

Yes. Open monitor.ifield.io in any browser and sign in with the same account to watch live and see your recordings. On an Android tablet, install iFieldCam and choose Monitor – the app uses the bigger screen. A spare tablet can also be a camera.

Event videos are recorded on the camera phone. Connect the camera to your own Google Drive (Camera mode → Cloud) and they are uploaded there automatically, so they're safe even if the camera phone is taken. You choose the maximum folder size; the oldest videos make room for new ones.

Your Monitor lists every event under Records; watching the event videos there is a Premium feature.

iFieldCam does not store your videos on its own servers.

Use the same Google account on the camera (Cloud) and for signing in on your Monitor – that's how the Monitor finds the videos in your Drive.

No. Detection runs on your camera phone, recordings go to your own Google Drive, and live video is streamed over an encrypted connection (via our video provider Twilio) without being recorded by us. Our servers handle your account, your cameras' list and status, and sending alerts. Details: Privacy Policy.

Only Monitor phones that were paired by scanning the camera's QR code or entering its Camera Code. Codes expire after an hour. Remove a camera from a Monitor any time with Delete on its card.

Rules differ by country. Record only places you are entitled to monitor, and tell people (guests, cleaners, babysitters) that a camera is on where your local law requires it. You are responsible for using iFieldCam lawfully – see the Terms of Use.

In the app: Profile → Delete account, or on the account deletion page. We delete your account, your cameras and devices within 30 days (backups expire within a further 35 days). Videos in your own Google Drive stay under your control – delete them there.

Free forever: unlimited cameras and live view, AI human detection and alerts, Any motion mode, Detection area, Arm / Disarm (also remotely), siren, flashlight, manual recordings and the event list.

Premium:

• watch the auto-recorded event videos from your Google Drive in the Monitor,
• 2-way talk through the camera,
• zoom in live view,
• Picture-in-Picture live view (Android),
• no ads – on your Monitor and on cameras you paired.

Plans are monthly or yearly (the yearly plan is cheaper per month); current prices in your currency are shown in the app. New accounts get a 7-day free trial.

• Google Play: Play Store → profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → iFieldCam → Cancel. Premium stays active until the end of the paid period.
• PayPal (web): cancel in your PayPal account under automatic payments.
• Changed phones? Sign in with the same account – Premium follows your account. If it doesn't show, tap Already paid for subscription? on the Subscription screen.

Refunds for Google Play purchases follow Google Play's refund policy.

Ads keep iFieldCam free. Premium removes them – including on cameras paired with a Premium account. In some regions the app first asks for your consent to personalized ads; you can choose non-personalized ads.

• Check that the camera shows Armed and online on your Monitor.
• On the Monitor, make sure notifications are on – the bell at the top of Home, and Android's notification settings for iFieldCam.
• On some phones, set iFieldCam's battery usage to Unrestricted, so Android doesn't delay notifications.
• Still nothing? Turn the bell off and on again – it re-registers your phone for alerts.

• Make sure the camera phone has internet and the iFieldCam Camera screen is open (it may be dimmed by Power saving – that's fine).
• Status updates arrive within about a minute after the camera comes back online.
• Restart the app on the camera phone if needed.

Wait a few seconds – the camera first needs to connect. Check both phones' internet connection. If the two phones are next to each other, turn the speaker off on the Monitor to avoid audio feedback.

iFieldCam tells you when a new version is available – tap Update. You can also update from Google Play. Keep both the camera and the monitor up to date.

Use the contact form or write to ifield.assist@gmail.com. The app's Help Center (Profile → Help Center, or Camera mode → Settings → Help Center) has guides too.