Contact: privacy@automedon-tech.com. We aim to reply within two business days.
How Tripwire works
Set the phone down facing what you want to watch, plugged in if you can. Tap ARM. Hold still for the three-second calibration. Tripwire then watches for movement. When something trips the wire it alerts you, saves three photographs and a ten-second clip on the phone, and re-arms itself.
The app has to stay open. Tripwire cannot detect anything while it is in the background or while your phone is locked; iOS does not allow apps to use the camera that way. Leave the app on screen. Use Dim to darken the display without stopping detection. If the app leaves the screen, the phone moves, the camera is taken by a call, or the phone gets too hot, monitoring stops and the app says so. Nothing is monitored while it is stopped.
Common questions
Nothing happens when I wave my hand. Check that the status reads ARMED in red. If it says DISARMED or CALIBRATING, detection is off or not ready. Watch the MOTION bar: if it moves but nothing trips, your movement is below the threshold marked by the white tick. Raise Sensitivity in Settings.
It trips when nothing is there. Something in view is moving: a curtain, a fan, a screen, a shadow, or a change in lighting. Re-aim so those are out of frame, or lower Sensitivity.
It says TOO DARK. Below a certain light level the camera's own sensor noise looks like movement, so Tripwire tells you rather than guessing. Add some light.
It said PHONE MOVED and stopped. The phone was bumped or picked up. Set it down again and tap ARM. The scene it learned during calibration is no longer the scene it is looking at, so it cannot honestly stay armed.
The alarm won't stop. Press and hold DISARM. A quick tap is deliberately ignored so a stray touch cannot disarm a live session. The alarm stops on its own after ten seconds. With VoiceOver, use the Disarm action instead of holding.
The screen went black. That is Dim mode saving battery; detection is still running. Tap anywhere to wake it.
Where are my recordings? Tap the events button (top right). Each event shows the clip, the photographs, and what was saved. Swipe to pin or delete. Export sends copies through the share sheet. Events live inside the app; they are not in Photos unless you export them there.
Why is an event marked PARTIAL? Something was cut short, most often because monitoring was interrupted mid-clip, or because the microphone was not allowed. The event says which.
Will it fill my phone? Evidence is capped at 1 GB. When the cap is reached the oldest unpinned events are deleted automatically. Pinned events are never removed automatically.
Can I get alerts on my Apple Watch? Yes. Leave "Live Activity and Apple Watch" on in Settings. While armed, the session appears in the Watch's Smart Stack, and when the wire trips the Watch shows an alert. This works even though the phone is unlocked, which ordinary notifications do not: iOS sends notifications to the phone whenever it is unlocked. Requires watchOS 11 or later and Live Activities enabled on the Watch.
Why doesn't the Notify mode buzz my Watch? See above. The phone is unlocked while Tripwire runs, so the notification stays on the phone. The Watch alert comes from the Live Activity instead.
It drains my battery. Keeping the screen on and the camera running uses power. Use Dim mode, and plug in for long sessions.
Does it work without internet? Yes, always. Tripwire never uses the internet.
Important limits
Tripwire is a temporary awareness tool, not a security system. It does not call anyone, it can miss things, and it can alert when nothing important happened. Do not rely on it for anyone's safety.
You are responsible for using it lawfully. Point it only at places you have the right to monitor, and remember that audio recording in particular is regulated in many places.
Privacy
Everything stays on your phone unless you export it. See the Tripwire Privacy Policy.