TL;DR: Does anyone here use an old #iPhone as a permanent #Dashcam? Any thoughts or advice? Or do you know anyone who might know?
Detail:
It occured to me that an old iPhone I have (screen kinda janky, so not worth anything, but cameras are fine) could be a good dashcam. I did find a couple of dashcam apps I could try, but I’d appreciate hearing of any experiences you’ve all had with such things. Or maybe there are even dashcam app developers on here?
Considerations:
• I’m thinking of just leaving it permanently in the car. I’d love it to just act like a normal dashcam, and turn itself on when I start the car and just loop recording without any interaction, and probably turn itself off mostly when I turn the car off. Let’s assume I can run a power supply lead to it.
• I’m in #Australia; it gets HOT inside our cars in summer, especially while they are parked!
• I don’t really want or need it to do anything in CarPlay like some apps can; I intend to have my other, everyday phone doing my navigation and entertainment.
IDK, maybe I should just shell out for a proper dedicated dashcam, but OTOH cheap or free via #upCycling an old unused phone seems like it should be a better option all around.
Future idea:
• Maybe later I could even set up a second, even older phone as a rear view cam!
Mark Whybird
npub1yt…xcslu
2026-03-20 05:53:20 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1ytn9ktl9taw654wh9hxgu340mrxynvefdrk2sreazg7ggn5ej6gqdxcsluPublished at
2026-03-20 05:53:20 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "TL;DR: Does anyone here use an old #iPhone as a permanent #Dashcam? Any thoughts or advice? Or do you know anyone who might know?\n\nDetail:\n\nIt occured to me that an old iPhone I have (screen kinda janky, so not worth anything, but cameras are fine) could be a good dashcam. I did find a couple of dashcam apps I could try, but I’d appreciate hearing of any experiences you’ve all had with such things. Or maybe there are even dashcam app developers on here?\n\nConsiderations:\n\n• I’m thinking of just leaving it permanently in the car. I’d love it to just act like a normal dashcam, and turn itself on when I start the car and just loop recording without any interaction, and probably turn itself off mostly when I turn the car off. Let’s assume I can run a power supply lead to it.\n\n• I’m in #Australia; it gets HOT inside our cars in summer, especially while they are parked!\n\n• I don’t really want or need it to do anything in CarPlay like some apps can; I intend to have my other, everyday phone doing my navigation and entertainment. \n\nIDK, maybe I should just shell out for a proper dedicated dashcam, but OTOH cheap or free via #upCycling an old unused phone seems like it should be a better option all around. \n\nFuture idea:\n\n• Maybe later I could even set up a second, even older phone as a rear view cam!",
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