Prewind Support
Email [email protected]. Please include your iPhone or iPad model, iOS version, and the Prewind version from Settings.
Common questions
- Do I need to press record first?
- No. That is the whole point. Prewind buffers continuously from the moment you open it — pressing the button saves what already happened.
- How much storage does it use?
- At the default 1080p60 with sound, the free 10-second buffer takes about 18 MB and the 120-second Pro buffer about 185 MB; 4K60 takes roughly four times as much. Settings shows an estimate beside each option for your chosen quality. On top of that, Prewind keeps a review copy of your most recent clip, normally up to about 750 MB. While a REC is running, the whole recording is held on your device — roughly 90 MB a minute at 1080p60 — and Prewind needs about as much free space again to save it; it stops the recording automatically if space runs low.
- Why is my clip shorter than the buffer length?
- The buffer had not finished filling, low storage shortened it, or it started again: switching camera, or changing quality, HDR or Record audio, starts a fresh buffer. A phone call, or time away from the app, can also leave a gap. Prewind reports the clip's actual length, rounded to the nearest second.
- Where do my clips go?
- Straight to your photo library. Prewind also keeps a review copy of your most recent clip, normally up to about 750 MB, so you can replay it in the app; a newer review copy replaces it. Larger clips, such as long recordings, go straight to Photos without one. If saving to Photos is refused or fails, Prewind keeps the clip in the app so you can play and share it there, until a newer review copy replaces it.
- I bought Pro and it is not showing.
- Settings → Restore purchases, signed into the same Apple ID used for the purchase.
- What does Pro include?
- Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription. It unlocks longer buffers — 20, 30, 60 or 120 seconds instead of 10 — and REC, which records clips up to 30 minutes long (5 minutes of recording in slow motion). Everything else your device supports, including 4K60 video, 1080p120 slow motion and overlays, is free.
- What is REC?
- REC is a Pro feature. Press REC and Prewind keeps recording until you press STOP, with the seconds before you pressed REC included — up to about two minutes, depending on your buffer length. A recording also stops by itself after 30 minutes (5 minutes of recording in slow motion), when your device runs low on space, or when you leave the app, and Prewind then saves it just as if you had pressed STOP. A long recording can take a while to save, so for best results stop it yourself and wait for the save to finish before you leave the app.
- How can I capture without looking at the screen?
- With Prewind open, press a volume button (iOS 17.2 or later) or Camera Control, or say "Capture with Prewind" to Siri. You can turn button capture off in Settings. You can also assign Prewind's "Capture the Moment" shortcut to the Action button, and on iOS 18 and later add Prewind's control to Control Center to open the camera in one tap. If Prewind isn't open, Siri and the shortcut open it first and save as soon as it has a couple of seconds of footage, so open it before the moment you want to catch.
- Does Prewind record in the background?
- No. Prewind only buffers while the app is open on screen. If you leave the app or lock the screen, buffering stops, and a REC in progress stops and Prewind starts saving it. A quick trip to another app and back is fine: the footage from just before you left is kept and buffering continues when you return, but nothing is recorded while you are away.
- Can I share Pro with my family?
- Yes. Pro supports Family Sharing, so members of your family group can use it on their own devices at no extra cost. Set up Family Sharing in your iPhone or iPad's Settings app, under your name.