What "dual camera" means on an iPhone
On an iPhone, dual camera means filming with the front (selfie) camera and a rear camera at the same moment, in one recording. You see the scene in front of you and your own face at the same time, and both are captured on the same timeline, so nothing needs lining up afterwards.
It is not the same as the "dual camera" printed on the back of an iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 11, which describes two rear lenses. Having two lenses on the back does not mean you can record with both cameras at once. What decides that is the chip.
Step 1: check your iPhone can do it
Simultaneous capture uses Apple's multi-camera framework, which only runs on an A12 Bionic chip or newer. That means the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR and everything released after them. Older phones can record either camera, just never both at the same time, and no app can change that.
| iPhone | Chip | Dual camera recording |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone X and older | A11 or older | Not possible |
| iPhone XS, XS Max, XR | A12 | Yes, with an app |
| iPhone 11 series | A13 | Yes, with an app |
| iPhone 12 series | A14 | Yes, with an app |
| iPhone 13 series | A15 | Yes, with an app |
| iPhone 14, 15, 16 series | A15 to A18 | Yes, with an app |
| iPhone 17 lineup | A19 | Yes: Camera app Dual Capture, or an app |
Step 2: install a dual camera app
On any model before the iPhone 17, the built-in Camera app has no way to record with both cameras. You need an app built for it. Lookout is ours: free, no account, and every recording stays on your phone. It needs iOS 17 or later.
Step 3: set up the shot before you press record
- Allow camera and microphone access on first launch. Say no to the microphone and you get silent video, which is easy to miss until playback.
- Put the phone on something. A stand, a stack of books, a car mount. Handheld dual camera footage shakes more because you are framing two things at once.
- Frame both views. The rear camera usually carries the scene and the front camera carries you. Check the live preview of each.
- Check the light behind you. The cameras face opposite ways, so they are almost always in different light. If a bright window is behind you, the front view will be a silhouette.
- Record ten seconds and play it back. This one habit catches bad audio, bad framing and wrong settings before they cost you a real take.
Record video both cameras iPhone: the settings that matter
People searching "record video both cameras iPhone" usually hit the same three problems once they get started, so set these up front:
- Storage. Two video streams is roughly twice the data of one. Start with plenty of free space.
- Heat. Running two cameras is hard work for the phone. On long takes it gets warm and iOS may slow things down to protect itself. Record in segments, keep it out of direct sun, and take off a thick case.
- Interruptions. iOS gives the camera to whichever app is in front. Answering a message mid-take can stop the recording. Turn on Do Not Disturb.
Record with both cameras hands-free
The hardest part of filming yourself is that you are also the camera operator. Lookout lets you record with both cameras without touching the phone: say "Hey Lookout" to start recording, zoom or take photos, or use the Apple Watch app to see both camera feeds on your wrist and start from across the room. There is also a black-screen mode that blanks the display while it keeps recording, so the screen is not distracting you or the people you are filming.
Dual camera recording on older iPhones: iPhone 12 and iPhone 13
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 are two of the most common phones still in use, and both are fully capable of dual camera recording. Their A14 and A15 chips are well above the A12 minimum. What they lack is the Dual Capture button that Apple added to the Camera app on the iPhone 17 lineup, so the only thing missing is the software, and a free app fills that gap.
The same is true of the iPhone 14, 15 and 16. See dual capture on iPhone 16 for that model specifically.
After the take
Watch the whole clip back while you can still redo it, not just the first few seconds. Check both views all the way through. Then move the files off the phone: dual camera footage fills a phone quickly.