Setting up for a game

KickCam turns an iPhone on an Apple DockKit gimbal into a camera that follows the ball. A few minutes of setup makes the difference between a great recording and a broken one.

What you need

• An iPhone with iOS 17 or later (iPhone 13 or newer recommended).
• A DockKit gimbal, such as the Insta360 Flow Pro or Flow 2 Pro, DJI Osmo Mobile 8 or COMITOK Mogo. See the gimbals page for pairing steps.
• A tripod, ideally one that extends high. No gimbal? Handheld mode works too, with on-screen cues that help you follow the ball.
• A power bank or a charging cable for games over about 60 minutes.

Where to put the camera

• Stand level with the halfway line, a few metres back from the touchline, and aim at midfield.
• Mount it high: 8 ft (about 2.5 m) or more is best. Height shows more of the field and keeps players from blocking the ball.
• Keep the sun behind the camera if you can, and make sure nothing blocks the gimbal's rotation.
• The setup screen helps you level the horizon (the line turns green) and tells you when the field is in view.
• Tap the field's four corners when setup asks. The camera then ignores warm-ups, spectators and the next pitch, and won't pan past the ends of the field.
• Pick the field size (11-a-side, 9-a-side, 7-a-side or smaller). KickCam suggests the lens to match.

Before you press record

1. Plug the phone into a power bank with a short, light cable. Recording and tracking use a lot of battery.
2. Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus so calls and notifications can't interrupt the recording.
3. For extra safety, turn on Guided Access (Settings ▸ Accessibility ▸ Guided Access) so a stray tap can't leave the app.
4. Turn off alarms and disconnect AirPods. Both can interrupt the camera or the audio.
5. Check the storage line on the Ready screen: it shows how much recording time you have left.

How much storage you need

A 90-minute game needs about 14 GB free in 1080p, or about 24 GB in 4K. If space is tight, free up space first (uploaded games can be removed from the phone). If storage runs very low mid-game, KickCam stops the recording safely so you keep what was recorded.

• 1080p at 60 fps (default): about 9 GB an hour.
• 4K at 30 fps: about 15.8 GB an hour.

Interruptions (calls, alarms, a flat battery) are the most common cause of broken recordings. Do Not Disturb and a power bank fix most of them.