Witness CameraICEBlock was removed. What can you still use to document ICE?
What happened, how reporting apps differ from documenting apps, and what is still available.
If you came here looking for ICEBlock: it is no longer on the App Store or Google Play, and I am not going to pretend there is a drop-in replacement. I make an app that records encounters, which is a different job. This page explains the difference so you can pick the right tool and not install the wrong one.
I make Witness Camera, which is one of the documenting apps discussed below, so I have a stake in this page. Everything about the removals is sourced to reporting I link to. None of it is legal advice.
What happened
- 2 October 2025: Apple removed ICEBlock from the App Store. Apple said it acted "based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock." The Attorney General said publicly that the Justice Department had demanded the removal and that Apple complied. Timeline and quotes.
- Early October 2025: Google removed similar apps, including Red Dot, from Google Play, citing its own policies on sharing the location of a vulnerable group and on moderating user content. Engadget's report.
- 8 December 2025: ICEBlock's developer, Joshua Aaron, sued several federal officials in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that they coerced Apple in violation of the First Amendment. NBC News. I have not found a reported ruling. The case number is 1:25-cv-04250 if you want to check where it stands.
What those apps did is not in dispute: users shared real-time sightings of immigration agents on a map, and other users nearby were alerted. I am describing that, not judging it.
Two different kinds of app
| Sighting and alert apps | Documenting apps | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Users drop a pin where they saw agents; others nearby get an alert | Record video of an encounter you are present at |
| Who sees the data | Other users, through a shared map | Only you, in your own cloud storage |
| Examples | ICEBlock, Red Dot | Witness Camera and several others, compared on this page |
| Status | Removed from the App Store and Google Play | Available |
Is there an ICEBlock alternative?
For the alert map, not on the App Store: that category was removed from both stores. I am also not going to recommend a replacement map. I cannot vouch for whether a given tool is accurate, lawful where you are, or safe for the people who use it, and a wrong recommendation here has real costs.
What does exist, and is run by people rather than by an app, are local rapid response networks. They usually operate hotlines and train volunteers. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center's guide is a good place to start, and this page lists the other organisations whose know-your-rights material I rely on.
What documenting looks like
Witness Camera records video and uploads it, in roughly 15 second pieces and while you are still filming, to a cloud storage account you own. If the phone is taken, what was already uploaded is safe. That is the whole job.
It is deliberately not a tracking tool. There is no map, no alert, no sighting report and no social layer. Location is written into your own recording's metadata and goes only to your own cloud account. There is no account to create and no server on my end, so I cannot see your footage or anyone's location. Exactly what leaves the device is written out in full.
If you are going to film
- How to film ICE, by where it is happening: street stops, workplaces, courthouses and shared buildings.
- ICE at your door: the warrant that is not a warrant, and what to say through a closed door.
- Recognising unmarked vehicles and plain-clothes agents, and what to capture.
- Can they take your phone or delete your video?
Quick answers
What happened to ICEBlock?
Apple removed ICEBlock from the App Store on 2 October 2025, saying it acted on information from law enforcement about safety risks. The Attorney General said publicly that the Justice Department had demanded the removal. Google removed similar apps, including Red Dot, from Google Play under its own policies. The developer sued in December 2025, alleging a First Amendment violation.
Is there an ICEBlock alternative on the App Store?
Not for the sighting-and-alert map. That category of app was removed from both the App Store and Google Play. Apps that record video instead of reporting sightings are a different category and remain available.
Does Witness Camera share the location of immigration agents?
No. Witness Camera has no map, no alerts, no sighting reports and no social layer. It records video and uploads it to a cloud storage account that you own. Location is written only into your own recording's metadata and goes only to that account.
Is it legal to film immigration agents?
Civil liberties organisations such as the NYCLU and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center say people may film immigration agents in public places as long as they do not interfere with the operation. This is not legal advice, and the rules can differ by place and situation.
What this page cannot do
It is not legal advice. I am a developer, not a lawyer.
This area changes quickly. Platform policies, court cases and enforcement practices all moved during 2025 and 2026. This page was written on 2 October 2026; check anything that matters against a current source.
Filming does not make a situation safe, and it does not protect you from a charge of interfering.
Written 2 October 2026. If something here is out of date or wrong, email me and I will fix it.