Witness CameraStart recording video without unlocking your phone
One press, and a stop gesture that is hard to trigger by accident.
In a tense moment you will not unlock a phone, find an app and tap through a menu. Witness is built to start recording in one press, and to be hard to stop by mistake. This page lists the ways to start it and how to set them up. Written by the developer of Witness Camera, so read it with that in mind; where another approach is better, it says so.
Short answer. On iPhone, Witness can start from the Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and newer), a Lock Screen widget or a Siri phrase. On Android, it can start from a Quick Settings tile, a home-screen widget or an assistant shortcut, and from an opt-in power-button double press. To stop, you triple-tap and then press and hold, which is deliberately awkward so it is not triggered by accident or by someone grabbing the phone. Set it up and practise before you need it.
On iPhone
- Action Button on iPhone 15 Pro and newer. Settings includes step-by-step setup.
- Lock Screen widget, so you can start from the lock screen.
- Siri phrase, hands-free.
On Android
- Quick Settings tile, the primary route, which works from the lock screen.
- Home-screen widget.
- Assistant or app shortcut.
- Power-button double press, opt-in, off by default, because Android routes that gesture to camera apps only.
Stopping, on purpose, is harder
Triple-tap, then press and hold. The app walks you through this once on first run. It is deliberately awkward so that a recording cannot be ended by accident or by someone who grabs the phone.
Set it up properly
- Connect your storage first. Nothing uploads until you do.
- Choose your start method and use it once.
- Practise the stop gesture.
- Record for 30 seconds and check the footage appeared in your storage.
See also the field guide for the full pre-event checklist.
Questions
Can I start Witness without unlocking my iPhone?
Yes. Use the Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and newer), a Lock Screen widget or a Siri phrase.
What are the Android start options?
A Quick Settings tile, a home-screen widget, an assistant shortcut, and an opt-in power-button double press.
How do I stop a recording?
Triple-tap, then press and hold. It is deliberately awkward so it cannot be triggered by accident or by someone grabbing the phone.
Do I need to set anything up first?
Yes. Connect storage and test it. An app that has not been configured will not save anything off the phone.
Try it free
The free app includes this. Set it up and test it before you need it.
More Witness features explained
- Witness features explained
- Stealth mode camera apps for iPhone and Android: what they can and cannot hide
- How to hash video footage and prove it has not been altered
- Trusted timestamp for video: how RFC 3161 time-stamping works
- Chain of custody for video: what a manifest records and how to check it
- Record video straight to cloud storage while you are still recording
- Send video and your location to a trusted contact while you record
- Burn a timestamp and GPS location into video on iPhone and Android
- Record video straight to Nextcloud or your own WebDAV server
- Trim silence out of video automatically: the highlight cut
- Record with the front and rear camera at once on iPhone and Android
- Record video on a weak connection: how Witness sends a preview first
- Does Witness encrypt video? What protects footage and what does not
- Generate a PDF evidence report from a video recording
- How to blur faces and anonymise voices in protest video, and why it is hard
- Witness for Professionals: how Witness Pro works
Written on 27 October 2026. Features and prices change. This is not legal advice.