Software & Apps Apps 69 69 people found this article helpful 5 Best Security Camera Apps for 2021 Use your iPhone or Android device as a hidden spy cam with these apps by Brad Stephenson Freelance Contributor Brad Stephenson is a freelance tech and geek culture writer with 12+ years' experience. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One, and cryptocurrency. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Brad Stephenson Updated on January 15, 2021 reviewed by Jerrick Leger Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. our review board Article reviewed on Oct 20, 2020 Jerrick Leger Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services It's natural to consider installing hidden security cameras in your home, especially if you live in an area with a high crime rate. With both free and paid mobile apps, you can turn an old device into a fully-functional hidden camera. Here are six high-quality camera apps for creating a cheap security camera in a matter of minutes. All you need is an iOS or Android device and a computer. 01 of 05 Best Hidden Camera App for iOS: AtHome Camera Surveillance App AtHome What we like Animated GIF notifications are an incredible idea that's unique to this app. Video streaming is encrypted, which makes it harder for others to view your footage. What we don't like Cloud save functionality requires a payment from $5.99 a month to $49.99 a year. Requires a $1.99 in-app payment to remove ads. The AtHome Camera Surveillance App can transform any old iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into a hidden security camera as long as it has iOS 7 or above. Like all of the other spycam apps, AtHome begins recording footage from the iOS device's webcam whenever it detects motion. What sets it apart, though, is the app's facial recognition technology, which begins recording video whenever it identifies a person. When this happens, not only does the app record the person, it also generates an animated GIF of the individual and sends it to you in a push notification. All recorded footage can be viewed on another iOS device or on a computer. Recordings can be automatically saved to an online cloud account as part of a monthly subscription service. Download For: iOS 02 of 05 Best Hidden Spy App for Android: Manything Manything What we like Clean app design that's easy to use and navigate. Clips can be downloaded and shared with other people easily. What we don't like A $3.99 monthly subscription is required to save footage to the cloud. Need to pay a monthly subscription fee to use more than one device as a hidden camera. Manything is a free spy cam app that lets you turn any device with Android 4.2 or later or iOS 8.0 or later into a security camera. Video from the app can be streamed live on your main smartphone or tablet and alerts are sent to you when motion is detected. One particularly useful feature is the ability to talk through the device working as the camera. This can be used to startle intruders, talk to pets while you're out of the house, or turn the device into a baby cam. Download For: iOS Android 03 of 05 Easiest Windows 10 Hidden Camera App: SecurityCam Silverdex IT Limited What we like SecurityCam is completely free. Runs on Windows 8 and 8.1 devices in addition to Windows 10. What we don't like No cloud backup of recorded video. Missing premium features such as email or text alerts. SecurityCam is a streamlined hidden camera app designed for Windows computers with Windows 8 or later. This app turns your Windows computer or tablet into a security camera that begins recording video with its webcam as soon as motion is detected. All recorded footage is saved directly to the app for on-demand viewing along with the date and time stamps. Download For: Windows 04 of 05 Best Camera App for Gamers: Viewer for Baby Monitor for Kinect Viewer for Baby Monitor for Kinect What we like Creative use of the Xbox One gaming console accessory. The Kinect camera sees in the dark, which makes it perfect for baby monitoring. What we don't like The Xbox One console must be turned on for this app to work, which could increase your power bill. You can't use your Xbox One while this app is running. Viewer for Baby Monitor for Kinect is a rather ingenious app that lets you use the Xbox One's Kinect sensor as a security camera or baby monitor. One version of the app is installed on the Xbox One console to let it record video, while the other is downloaded onto your Windows 10 device to view the video stream from elsewhere in the house. Download For: Windows 05 of 05 Best Overall Hidden Camera App: Alfred Home Security Camera Alfred Security What we like All primary hidden camera functionality is free. Recorded video can also be viewed via the web on a computer if you don't own a secondary smart device. What we don't like Some features, such as the zoom ability, are behind a premium $3.99 monthly subscription. The app works on older devices with iOS 8 but occasionally crashes on aging hardware such as the iPhone 4S. Alfred Home Security Camera is one of the best hidden spy apps for both iOS and Android devices. The app works by turning one smartphone or tablet into a camera and another as the viewing monitor. Once set up, the Alfred Home Security Camera begins recording video once motion is detected. All footage is uploaded to a free online cloud account for viewing later. Download For: iOS Android Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit