# XSCamera

> XSCamera is a background video recorder for Android (7.0 and newer) made by XS Labs. It keeps recording video when the screen is off, the phone is locked, or another app is open. It is free to use, needs no account, works offline, and is built for lawful, personal use.

## Key facts
- Name: XSCamera (also written "XS Camera"). Google Play title: "XSCamera: Record Privately". Package: me.jagar.xscamera2. Developer: XS Labs (https://xslabs.dev/).
- Platform: Android 7.0+ only. There is no iPhone, iPad, Windows or Mac version.
- Google Play (November 2026): 4.5 stars from 131,892 ratings, 5,000,000+ downloads. Current version 4.0.10.
- Price: free with ads; every recording feature is free. Optional XSCamera Premium ($4.99/month) removes ads and adds 60 GB of cloud backup. Premium is not required.
- Privacy: no account. Recording works offline and videos are stored on the phone. Nothing is uploaded unless the user turns on the optional Premium backup.
- How it works: the camera runs in an Android foreground service, so recording continues with the screen off or while other apps are used. A recording notification is shown, and Android 12+ shows its own green camera indicator. These cannot be hidden.
- Recording: front or back camera; SD, HD, FHD or UHD (4K); H.264 or H.265/HEVC (about half the file size); 15-60 FPS; portrait or landscape; optional audio, flash, zoom; optional date/time stamp burned into the video.
- On-screen preview while recording: mini preview, app icon, red dot, or nothing.
- Start options: in-app button, app-icon long-press shortcut, scheduled recordings (date, time, duration), or by whistle/clap.
- Live streaming: turns the phone into a local IP camera over RTSP (default port 8086) that any RTSP client such as VLC can open on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Other: 4-digit app lock, themes, alternative app icons, estimated recording time based on free storage, save to gallery (Movies folder) or keep inside the app.
- Limits: no loop recording or crash detection; long recordings need free storage, power, and battery optimization set to "Unrestricted".
- Intended use: lawful, personal recording (dashcam, own-home security camera, lectures and meetings with permission, pets, hands-free footage). It does not support covert surveillance of other people.
- Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.jagar.xscamera2

## Pages
- [XSCamera home](https://xscamera.app/): overview, features, FAQ
- [Record with the screen off](https://xscamera.app/record-video-with-screen-off-android/): Why the stock camera stops, and the exact steps to keep recording with the display off or the phone locked.
- [Record while using other apps](https://xscamera.app/record-video-while-using-other-apps/): Keep the camera rolling while you browse, chat or navigate — on Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi and others.
- [Fix: recording stops by itself](https://xscamera.app/recording-stops-screen-off-fix/): The battery settings that kill background recording on each brand, and how to switch them off.
- [Use your phone as a dashcam](https://xscamera.app/phone-as-dashcam/): Turn a current or old Android phone into a dash camera: mount, power, settings and limits.
- [Old phone as a security camera](https://xscamera.app/old-phone-security-camera/): Reuse an old Android as a free home camera you can watch live from another device.
- [Download and APK](https://xscamera.app/download/): The safe way to download XSCamera, what version you get, and why APK and mod sites are a risk.
- [Secret recorder apps: the truth](https://xscamera.app/secret-video-recorder/): What “secret” and “hidden” video recorder apps can and cannot do on Android today, and what is legal.
- [How to choose a recorder app](https://xscamera.app/best-background-video-recorder-apps/): A plain checklist for judging any background video recorder, and where XSCamera stands on each point.
- [Are these apps safe?](https://xscamera.app/is-background-video-recorder-safe/): What permissions a background recorder really needs, the red flags, and how to check an app yourself.
- [iPhone and PC](https://xscamera.app/background-video-recorder-iphone/): Can an iPhone record with the screen off? The honest answer, and what works instead.
- [Is it legal?](https://xscamera.app/legal/): Consent, public places, driving, work and evidence — the general rules in plain English.
- [What people use it for](https://xscamera.app/use-cases/): Dashcam, home camera, lectures, pets, hands-free footage: settings for each.
- [XSCamera help](https://xscamera.app/help/): How XSCamera works, where videos are saved, recording longer, scheduling, voice start and more.

## Full text
- [https://xscamera.app/llms-full.txt](https://xscamera.app/llms-full.txt)