Support
Pre-Capture support
A dashcam for iPhone that also records the seconds before you hit REC, in 2-minute files with date, plate and GPS burned in. No account, no network.
What is Pre-Capture
Pre-Capture turns your iPhone into a dashboard camera. While the app is open it keeps the last seconds of road in memory: when you tap REC, the video starts before your tap. Recording splits itself into 2-minute files, so a sudden interruption affects at most the last piece. Date and time, vehicle and plate, and GPS coordinates are burned into the video.
After a phone call, or when you come back to the app, recording resumes by itself. You can start it in a flash from Control Center, the Lock Screen or the Action button, and the dark screen saves battery without stopping the recording. Everything stays on your iPhone: no account, no internet connection, no data collected. The app is in English and Italian.
How to reach me
Have a problem, a question or a suggestion? Write to support@simplebuild.it.
You can also call +39 389 314 8174.
Tell me your iPhone or iPad model, the iOS version and what you were doing: it helps to understand the problem.
Privacy
What data Pre-Capture uses and where it stays: app privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pre-roll, and how many seconds does it keep?
It is the seconds recorded before you tap REC. While the app is open the camera films continuously and keeps the last 45 seconds in memory (from 15 to 120 under Settings › Recording › Pre-roll); when you start recording they go at the start of the first file. If you open the app straight into recording, from Control Center or the Lock Screen, the camera was off before: in that case the pre-roll is close to zero.
Why are videos split into several files?
So you don't lose the trip. Recording closes and restarts every 2 minutes (from 30 seconds to 5 minutes under Settings › Recording › Segment Length), with no gaps in the video between one file and the next. If the app closes or the phone switches off suddenly, the files already closed stay intact: at most you lose the piece in progress.
What happens if a call comes in?
The app closes the current file and resumes by itself in a new one. During the call the microphone belongs to the phone, so it records video only; when the call ends, audio comes back in a new file. If the app goes to the background, recording stops and resumes when you return. While it waits, "REC paused" appears: tapping stop cancels the automatic resume.
How do I start recording without opening the app?
Add the "Record Dashcam" control to Control Center or the Lock Screen, or assign it to the Action button on iPhone models that have one. One tap starts recording right away. With your iPhone locked it records without unlocking; the videos show up in the Library when you unlock and open the app.
What is burned into the video?
Date (year-month-day, for example 2026-10-11, the same in every country) and time (24-hour clock), the vehicle name and license plate you enter under Settings › Vehicle, and the GPS coordinates. This text is the same in every language. They are part of the picture, so they cannot be removed afterwards. If the name and plate are empty that block does not appear; without location permission the coordinates are missing.
What is the dark screen for?
Tap the button with the moon: the preview and the text disappear and the brightness goes down, so the screen uses less power. Recording continues, and REC and its button stay visible. Tap the screen to go back to the preview.
Where are my videos, and how do I save or delete them?
In the Library. Open a video to watch it: at the top there are buttons to share it, save it to Photos and delete it. To delete more than one, tap Edit, choose the videos and tap Delete. Uninstalling the app deletes all of them.
Does it work on iPad? In portrait?
Pre-Capture is for iPhone only, with iOS 18 or later. It is used in landscape, like a dashcam on the dashboard: the video is always landscape and the preview shows exactly what ends up in the file.
Do I need an internet connection or an account?
No. Pre-Capture works entirely offline and does not ask you to sign up.
Which languages is it in?
English and Italian: it follows your iPhone's language. To change it for Pre-Capture only, go to Settings > Apps > Pre-Capture > Language. The text burned into the video is the same in every language.
How do I report a problem?
Email support@simplebuild.it or call +39 389 314 8174. Tell me your iPhone model, the iOS version and what you were doing (recording, a phone call, starting from Control Center…): a screenshot speeds things up.
© 2026 Simplebuild.it Angelo Sasso