iPhone Models
An iPhone 13 or newer is recommended. If filming soccer on a full-size field, an iPhone 15 or newer is preferred for the lossless 2× zoom.
Tripod
A tall tripod is highly recommended for a better view angle. There are many heavy-duty light-stand tripods available on Amazon. For large fields, a 15-foot tripod such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8B71P6R is recommended.
Gimbal
FoloCam requires a DockKit compatible gimbal. One of the following 3 gimbals is supported:
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Insta360 Flow Pro
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Insta360 Flow 2 Pro
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Comitok Mogo
DJI Osmo Mobile 8 is another popular DockKit gimbal. Unfortunately there is a bug in their DockKit implementation. FoloCam implemented a workaround whose effectiveness has not been confirmed with extensive testing.
Please refer to the gimbal’s user manual for instructions on connecting via NFC.
Mount the phone on the gimbal and press the 
button to rotate the phone into the landscape orientation. The bottom of the phone should face right.
For Insta360 Flow Pro or Flow 2 Pro, the clamp should be positioned as close to the center of the iPhone as possible. Do not shift the clamp away from its central position over the phone buttons, as doing so creates unnecessary strain and instability. The clamp is designed not to touch the buttons even when positioned directly over them.
Press the button on the back of the gimbal handle once to connect or disconnect from the iPhone. Press it twice to return to the initial position. When the gimbal is connected to the iPhone, the circular green LED ring should be lit, and the app will show “gimbal ready.” If the app says “gimbal disconnected,” press the back button once.
At this point, the iPhone should begin following the action on the field. Tap the screen to bring out the record button, then tap the record button to start recording. To stop recording, tap the screen again to reveal the stop button and tap it.
Gimbal Orientation
The most important factor for getting a good recording is the orientation of the gimbal. Make sure the dial on the handle is pointing backward. The Y value (meaning yaw) shown in the top-left corner of the screen indicates the pan angle in degrees. When the Y value is 0, the iPhone should be facing straight ahead, aligned with the center line.
This is extremely important because the pan range is limited to about 180 degrees. For example, if the gimbal is angled too far to the left, it may not be able to pan far enough to capture the right side of the field.
Remote Control
If the gimbal is mounted on a tall tripod, it can be convenient to use another iPhone to monitor and control the recording iPhone. Install FoloCam on the second iPhone. When the camera view appears, swipe left to access the remote view. Tap the broadcast icon to see a list of available iPhones.
When you attempt to connect, a popup will appear on the recording iPhone asking you to accept the connection. Once connected, you can start/stop recording, pan/tilt the gimbal, and more.
Sports Mode
Currently, there are five sports modes, each supported by a different tracking model:
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Soccer
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Soccer Pro
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Basketball
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Basketball Pro
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Ice Hockey Pro
The Pro modes use larger and more accurate tracking models, but they require a faster device. They can run only on iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, or newer.
Ice Hockey Pro is currently experimental and has not been extensively tested.
Zoom Selection
The zoom level should be selected based on the field size and the distance from the tripod to the sideline.
If the tripod is close to the sideline, 1x zoom should be used for basketball and ice hockey. For soccer, 1x zoom is recommended for a quarter field, such as 5v5 or 7v7; 1.5x zoom is recommended for a half field, such as 9v9; and 2x zoom is recommended for a full field, such as 11v11.
However, if you are filming from farther away, you should increase the zoom level. For insance, if you have an iPhone Pro model and are filming from a stadium seat, you may consider using 3x zoom, which is optical and produces very sharp footage.
Auto Zoom
In Soccer or Soccer Pro mode, there is an option in the model selection dialog to allow the zoom to be adjusted automatically. This option is experimental at this time.
When Auto Zoom is enabled, FoloCam will try to zoom out when the ball is closer to the camera, and then zoom back to the selected zoom level when the ball is farther away.
Tripod Height
There is a slider in the model selection dialog for setting the tripod height. This value is used to estimate the best tilt angle for the camera.
Normally, you can set the height based on your estimate. However, if you want the iPhone to tilt down more, you can set it to a value higher than the actual height.
Auto/Fixed Tilt
FoloCam supports both Auto Tilt and Fixed Tilt.
When Auto Tilt is enabled, which is the default, FoloCam automatically adjusts the tilt angle based on the estimated ball position and the tripod height. This is useful when the ball may move closer to or farther away from the camera.
When Fixed Tilt is enabled, the tilt angle remains fixed during recording. This is useful when filming from far away, such as from a stadium seat, where the vertical field of view is already enough to cover the whole field or court.
Recorded Videos
Recorded videos are saved in FoloCam’s app folder. There is a built-in player—simply swipe the screen to the right to access it.
To copy videos to a Mac, connect the iPhone via USB, open Finder, and navigate to iPhone → Files → FoloCam. You can then copy and paste the videos to a folder on your computer.
If you’re using Windows, the Apple Devices app is recommended and can be downloaded from the Microsoft App Store. Once installed, you can find the videos under FoloCam’s folder.
Beta Testing
To beta test the FoloCam app, send your email address in a message to me, and I will invite you to Apple’s TestFlight program. You’ll need to install the TestFlight app on your iPhone, after which you’ll be able to install the FoloCam beta app.