Camera access is needed to record video; microphone access adds sound; speech recognition powers voice-follow and audio captions. If something fails, start with the permission or error shown in the app, then follow the relevant steps below.

Which permissions do you need?

  • Camera: required for the camera preview and video capture. If denied, tap Open Settings on the camera screen and allow camera access.
  • Microphone: needed for recorded sound and voice-follow. If denied, the app can still record silent video and shows a microphone warning. Tap the warning to open Settings.
  • Speech Recognition:needed for voice-follow and generating captions from audio. Allow it when prompted. If denied, find Teleprompter Focus under iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech Recognition.
  • Photos: add-only access is requested when you save a video to Photos. It is not needed to keep a video in the in-app library or export it through Files.

You can also find app permissions in iPhone Settings > Apps > Teleprompter Focus. If a control is restricted rather than simply off, check Screen Time or device-management restrictions. Return to the app after changing permissions.

Start with the symptom

Keep the exact error message and try the matching steps below. Avoid deleting or reinstalling the app as an initial fix: scripts and recordings are stored locally, and the app has no cloud library to restore them from.

Recording will not start

  1. If an upgrade prompt appears, shorten the selected script to 1,000 characters or fewer, or check your trial or subscription.
  2. If the camera is unavailable, allow Camera access and wait for the preview to become ready. The error on screen distinguishes permission or capture problems from a script-length restriction.
  3. Finish any pending save or effects recovery shown in the app before starting another take.
  4. Check available storage in iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Keep the app open during capture; backgrounding ends the take. See Recording a Video.

A recording has no sound

First turn up playback volume and play the video again. Then check microphone permission. A take captured without microphone access has no recorded sound; granting access later cannot recover that audio.

If using an external microphone, confirm the selected input and connection, then make a short test. Try the built-in microphone to isolate an accessory problem. Silent mode is not a microphone permission or recording control.

Voice-follow or captions are unavailable

  • Confirm an active trial or subscription; both features require paid access.
  • Check Speech Recognition permission and, for live voice-follow, Microphone permission.
  • On-device speech availability depends on language, device, and local recognition support. If the app says it is unavailable, use manual prompting or export without captions. It does not send speech to a server as a fallback.
  • For captions reporting no recorded transcript, select Audio instead of Transcript. For no audio or no speech errors, play the original to check that it contains audible speech.

See Voice-Follow Scrolling and Captions and Export.

A script will not import

Use a .txt or .rtf file. PDF and Word files are not supported; export text from the source app first. You can import a file inside Scripts or send a supported file through the iOS share sheet.

If the share target is missing, check More in the share sheet’s app row, or use the in-app file picker instead. If a file cannot be read, try saving a fresh UTF-8 plain-text copy. See Importing Scripts.

Premium features have not unlocked

From Scripts, tap the Settings gear and then tap Restore Purchases, then check Plan. Confirm that the App Store purchasing account holds an active subscription and that the iPhone has a connection for verification. Check iPhone Settings > your name > Subscriptions for the current subscription status.

If access is still missing, contact support with the plan status shown in the app and the error or behavior you see. Do not send payment-card details or account passwords. See Restoring Purchases.

Saving or export fails

For Photos permission errors, allow the app to add videos in iPhone Settings, then retry. You can use Files or another share destination instead. For re-encoding or caption burn-in failures, check free storage and use the retry control shown.

If a recording says Video Unavailable, the app cannot load its media. Check any copies you already exported to Photos or Files. For a capture-time save failure, use the recovery screen’s options before removing anything.

See Recordings Library. For disabled Watch controls, see Apple Watch troubleshooting.

Background edges look wrong

Try even front lighting, a less cluttered background, and less movement. Review a short test with the effect enabled. If the result is unsuitable, choose no virtual background before recording again. Effects are baked into the saved video and cannot be removed afterward in the app.

Contact support

If the problem persists, email [email protected]. Include your iPhone model, iOS version, app version from Settings, the steps that caused the problem, and the exact error message. For Watch problems, include the Watch model and watchOS version too.

A screenshot can help explain the issue. Check it for private script text or other personal information before sending it. Export important recordings before considering a reinstall.