Frequently Asked Questions

Lens is available on the App Store for iPhone. Get Lens on the App Store. These FAQs describe how Lens works today. For anything that depends on region or Apple’s purchase screen, such as price, trial length, or tax, trust what you see at checkout in the App Store and in the app.

About Lens

What is Lens?

Lens is a professional proof-of-work camera app for iPhone. Every photo and video becomes trustworthy documentation, with date, time, GPS, weather, and project context embedded on every capture.

Who is Lens designed for?

Lens is built for people who need their camera roll to prove what happened, not just remember it. This includes field professionals, inspectors, engineers, journalists, creators, and anyone who documents sites, assets, or events for work.

How is Lens different from the built‑in iPhone camera?

The iPhone camera focuses on aesthetics. Lens focuses on evidence:

A readable overlay on every capture (time, place, conditions, project, notes)
Consistent file naming for projects and clients
AI‑generated PDF reports from your photos
Optional Content Credentials (C2PA) for cryptographic proof of origin

You still get the same high-quality photos and videos from your iPhone, plus a record you can use in an audit.

Is Lens right for my workflow?

Lens is a strong fit if you:

Take photos or video to document jobs, inspections, incidents, or field work
Need to show when, where, and under what conditions something was captured
Want to generate clean reports without copying images into Word or email

If that sounds like you, Lens is likely a good fit.

Plans, pricing, and trial

Source of truth: The App Store listing and the in‑app purchase sheet show the exact price and trial terms for your account and region.

Can I try Lens for free?

Lens Pro (subscription) includes a free trial where Apple and our App Store configuration allow it. You start the trial from the subscribe flow; you are not charged until the trial ends unless you cancel earlier per Apple’s subscription rules.

Lens Core is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription trial for Core itself.

How long is the free trial?

For new Lens Pro subscribers, the shipping app is built around a 14‑day trial window. Some existing customers may still be on a previous 21‑day window from before that policy change; those accounts keep their original end date.

Do I need a subscription?

Lens Core unlocks the full camera, overlays, and unlimited exports as a one‑time purchase.

Lens Pro is a subscription for ongoing features with recurring cost (for example AI reports, PDF builder, and related services). You can use Core without Pro; Pro adds the subscription tier on top.

Regional Core pricing follows the App Store price for your region, including any scheduled regional promotions.

Can I use Lens for both personal and client work?

Yes. Many people start by testing Lens on a small personal or side project, then roll it out to full client or team work once they’re confident it fits their process.

Getting started

How do I take my first photo with metadata?

Open Lens and grant Camera, Location (While Using the App with Precise Location on), and Photo Library access when asked.
Frame your subject with the overlay in mind.
Tap the shutter button.

Lens automatically embeds the date, time, location (if enabled), weather, and your current project details into the overlay.

What permissions does Lens need?

Permission	Purpose	Required
Camera	Capture photos and video	Yes
Location	Precise GPS, address, weather, and trustworthy capture metadata	Yes: While Using the App (or Always) and Precise Location
Photos	Save captures to your photo library	Yes

Microphone is only requested when recording video.

Can I use Lens without location access?

Lens requires While Using the App (or Always) permission and Precise Location turned on before the shutter or record action runs. If Location is denied, restricted, or set to Approximate Location only, capture does not start. Fix this in Settings → Lens → Location, where Lens shows a short in-app guide. Coordinates and permission checks stay on your device. Lens does not upload your GPS to our servers to enforce this.

Note: This requirement follows the iOS Location permission setting. It does not depend on whether you hide the map or coordinate lines in the Lens overlay settings. Capture still needs Precise Location and While Using the App (or Always) at the system level.

What’s the best way to try Lens in my first 10 minutes?

For a quick end‑to‑end test:

Take 3 to 5 photos of a real-world scene (e.g., a room, asset, or site) with the overlay visible.
Add a Quick Note and set a Project Profile name so you see how context appears on each capture.
Open the Gallery, select those photos, and generate an AI Report as a PDF.
(Optional) Enable Content Credentials for one capture and verify it using a C2PA viewer.

This sequence shows you how Lens turns a few photos into a clear, shareable record.

What should I try first?

Which features should I start with?

If you’re evaluating Lens, start with these pillars:

Metadata overlay: Capture a few photos and videos so you can see date, time, GPS, weather, and notes on every image.
Project Profiles & Quick Notes: Set a project name/client and use note aliases so every capture is labeled correctly with almost no typing.
AI Reports: Turn a small batch of photos into a polished PDF report and share it with a colleague or client.
Content Credentials (optional): Enable Content Credentials and sign a test photo to see how cryptographic provenance works in your workflow.
Offline capture & maps: Try capturing in low‑signal or offline conditions and, if helpful, enable Offline Maps for your area.

Once those feel natural, you can explore finer controls like fonts, branding, and video settings.

Photos & Video

What format are photos saved in?

Photos are saved as HEIC by default. Choose JPEG in Settings → Camera Settings → Formats when you need wider compatibility. Metadata is preserved in both formats. Under memory pressure, Lens may reduce resolution and quality to finish the save reliably.

Why is my photo file size large?

Larger files usually come from high-resolution capture or from choosing JPEG (less efficient than HEIC). Settings → Camera Settings → Formats controls the format.

What video quality is supported?

Lens supports 1080p (HD) and 4K (Ultra HD) recording at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps. Availability depends on your specific device hardware. In Video mode, use the top controls bar to change resolution and frame rate independently.

Can I remove the overlay after capture?

No. The overlay is permanently embedded at the moment of capture. This is intentional. It creates tamper-evident proof of work, so you can trust that what you see is what was captured.

Overlay & Display

How do I hide the mini‑map?

Go to Settings (Lens icon) → Map → toggle Show Map off.

Can I change the overlay font?

Yes. Settings → Typography → Font Pairing. You can choose from several professional typeface combinations tuned for clarity and a clean, technical look.

How do I add my company logo?

Settings → Branding → Add Logo. Supported formats: PNG, JPEG. Transparent backgrounds usually look best on the overlay.

The overlay is blocking my subject. Can I move it?

The overlay position is fixed to keep documentation consistent across every capture. Frame your subject with the overlay in mind so important details remain visible.

Projects & Quick Notes

What are Project Profiles?

Project Profiles let you switch between different job contexts. Each profile saves its own Project Name, Project Client, and File Name Prefix so your documentation stays organized and your files are clearly labeled per site or client.

How do I create a new profile?

Settings → Project Profiles → tap + (plus icon) → enter your project details.

What are Quick Note Templates?

Quick Note Templates are pre‑set text blocks you can quickly add to your photos. Instead of typing the same status repeatedly, you select it from a list or use an Alias.

How do Alias shortcuts work?

Every template can have a short alias, 2 to 4 letters. In the camera view, tap the Note area, type your alias (for example sc), and double-tap the spacebar. Lens expands it to the full template text (for example Site conditions documented).

Is there a character limit for notes?

Yes. Quick Notes are limited to 100 characters so they fit cleanly inside the overlay without obscuring your image.

Reports & Export

What is a PDF report?

A PDF report packages selected gallery captures into a shareable document with photos, metadata, and optional project details.

Visual PDFs (photos and metadata) are available on Lens Core.

AI photo captions and an AI executive summary require Lens Pro, Lens Trust, or an active trial with AI reports remaining. You can turn those options on or off in Settings → Reports & AI → PDF Report Settings → Report Content.

How do I create a report?

Open the Gallery and select photos (long‑press for multi‑select).
Tap PDF on the floating action bar.
Review the preview, then export or share.

See PDF Reports for Report Content settings and limits.

Can I edit a report after generating?

Yes. After a quick PDF, you can open the report to edit captions, summary, and other fields, then refresh the preview. You can also adjust which photos are selected and generate again.

What report title colors are available?

Go to Settings → Project → Default Report Title Color to choose Black, Red, or Blue.

Privacy & Data

How does Lens protect my data?

Lens is designed with a local‑first, privacy‑respecting model: your photos and videos stay on your device by default, with only a few clearly explained exceptions. The app does not use usage analytics or automatic crash or diagnostics uploads; support is user‑initiated (e.g. email) with optional diagnostic attachments, off by default where offered.

Does Lens upload my photos anywhere?

By default, no. Your photos and videos remain in your local storage and are not continuously synced to our servers.

Exception (Content Credentials): When you enable Content Credentials, Lens saves signed “Master Copies” to your iCloud Drive by default so they are not lost if you delete the app. You can change this to a local folder in Settings.

Exception (Transient AI Processing): If you use AI Report Generation, selected photos are briefly processed by our AI provider to create descriptions. No data is stored or used for training:

✓ Zero data retention. Photos are discarded immediately after processing.
✓ No training. Your content is never used to improve public AI models.
✓ Secure transport. Data is encrypted in transit.

See Google’s Generative AI Privacy Notice for more on how transient data is handled.

Exception (Opt‑In Offline Maps): If you enable Offline Maps, your approximate location is shared with Mapbox to download map tiles. This is disabled by default and clearly explained during setup.

Does Lens track my usage?

No, not in the sense of product analytics or ad profiling. Lens does not collect usage “events” for that purpose. Some tooling in the app helps us understand performance, but Lens does not track your behavior for marketing or broad analytics. Some features, such as weather, AI, and Remote Config, still use the network, as described elsewhere in this Help Center and the Privacy Policy.

Does Lens collect my feedback?

Yes, but only when you choose to send it. Lens supports:

General feedback: A copy is stored on your device; the app does not run automatic cloud “feedback sync” to our servers.
Bug reports and support email: You send email when you are ready, with your chosen subject and body.
Image attachments (when the flow allows): You choose what to attach, subject to size and format limits.

What your message may include (depending on what you add):

The text you type in the form or email body
Optional diagnostic log attachment only when a flow explicitly offers it and you turn that attachment on (defaults off where applicable)
Optional image attachments in supported flows (for example, chosen from the share sheet)
App and device information that you include, or that is in an attached diagnostic file if you provide one
If you use email, your from address is visible to support as the sender.

Clear on-device support artifacts: In the app, go to Settings → Data & Privacy → Clear local support data to remove local feedback history and diagnostic log files without deleting your photos or resetting the app.

There is no background “send feedback to the cloud” toggle. If you do not start a support email or use a flow you initiated yourself, nothing of that class is sent.

How do I delete my data?

Delete photos directly from the Gallery, or delete the app. If you’ve enabled Content Credentials and chosen to save Master Copies in iCloud Drive or a Custom Location, you’ll need to delete those signed copies manually from the Files app.

Feedback and local copies: On-device general feedback is removed when you delete the app. Email to support is handled like normal email. If you need something deleted, contact us with a reasonable request. Automatic crash or diagnostics upload to us is not a feature you can turn on. Optional logs are only sent in attachments you add yourself.

Is automatic third-party crash reporting turned on for Lens support?

No. The product does not enable automatic background crash or diagnostics upload to us. If a screen offers to attach a diagnostic file to email, that is optional, and you choose to send it.

Troubleshooting

Quick fixes for the most common issues. See the full Troubleshooting guide for more.

Location shows “Unavailable”: Turn on Location Services, set Lens to While Using the App (or Always) with Precise Location on, then reopen Lens.
Photos aren’t saving: Grant Photo Library access in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos.
Camera preview is black: Close other camera apps, confirm Camera access is enabled for Lens, then restart the app.
Video recording stopped unexpectedly: Free up device storage. 1080p 30fps video uses about 130 MB per minute.
Overlay looks blurry on export: Use the Lens Share function instead of a screenshot or screen recording.

Features & Limits

What’s the maximum video length?

There’s no hard limit inside Lens. Practical limits depend on your available device storage. For long recordings, keep an eye on remaining space in iOS Settings.

Is there a limit on AI report generation?

During the trial, AI reports (captions and summary) are limited to a fixed number of generations. After that quota is used, quick PDF stays visual only until you upgrade to Lens Pro or Lens Trust.

Lens Pro and Lens Trust include AI captions and summary for PDF reports. AI copy needs a network connection. Visual PDFs do not.

Does Lens work offline?

Yes. Core capture features work entirely offline:

Photos & Video: Capture and saving work without a signal.
Altitude & Compass: Use device sensors (GPS/Barometer/Magnetometer) and do not need internet.
Addresses: Lens will try to display a previously visited address (cached). If not available, it shows coordinates.
Weather: Shows the Last Known value (marked as “Cached”) if you have no signal.

You can also enable Offline Maps to download map data for offline use.

How do I use Offline Maps?

Go to Settings → Offline Maps, consent to the privacy notice (Mapbox receives your IP address, device info, and approximate location for the area you download), then search or use your current location to download an area. Downloaded maps appear automatically when you’re offline. You can disable this anytime from the same settings screen, which removes all downloaded maps and stops data sharing with Mapbox.

See the full Offline Maps guide for storage size estimates and management options.

Content Credentials (C2PA)

What are Content Credentials?

Content Credentials is the user‑friendly name for provenance data built on the open C2PA v2.2 standard. When enabled, Lens cryptographically signs your photos and videos using your iPhone’s Apple Secure Enclave hardware, creating tamper‑evident proof of:

When the capture was taken (trusted timestamp)
Where it was taken (GPS coordinates, when enabled in Settings)
What device captured it (hardware‑bound identity)
That it hasn’t been altered (cryptographic hash)
Version tracking (app version for security vulnerability management)

Lens implements C2PA v2.2 in line with the Technical Specification, UX Recommendations, and Security Considerations. Lens is formally C2PA conformant at Max Assurance Level 1, confirmed by the C2PA Conformance Program. See our C2PA v2.2 Compliance page for detailed information.

What does “Signed by Lens App Signer” mean?

This is a digital signature embedded in your photo that proves its origin. It guarantees the photo was taken by Lens and has not been edited by external software.

Where can I find the signed photos?

By default, Lens saves your signed Master Copies to iCloud Drive (iCloud Drive > Lens > Artifacts) so they’re backed up and persist even if you delete the app.

If iCloud is disabled, they are saved locally to Files > On My iPhone > Lens > C2PA. You can also choose a Custom Location (such as a separate folder or external SSD) in Settings.

If I delete the app, do my signed photos get deleted?

It depends on where they’re stored:

iCloud Drive (Cloud Saved): ✓ Safe. Your photos persist in your iCloud storage regardless of the app’s status.
Custom Location: ✓ Safe. If you picked a folder outside the “Lens” app directory, the files are considered user data and remain on your device.
On My iPhone (Device Only): ! Will be deleted. If your photos are stored in the default On My iPhone > Lens folder, iOS removes them when the app is uninstalled.

Lens shows a guided warning in Settings if you are using device‑only storage so you can move Master Copies to a safer location.

Why is my photo “Unrecognized” on verification sites?

This is expected behavior during our Preview (Production Certificate Pending) period.

Lens is formally C2PA conformant at Max Assurance Level 1, and that evaluation is complete. Lens currently uses a self-signed certificate with Apple Secure Enclave hardware binding while our Certificate Authority partner, SSL.com, completes issuance of our production certificate. That issuance is in progress.

What Works	What Shows a Warning
✓ Cryptographic integrity verified	! “Unrecognized Signer”
✓ Signature mathematically valid	! “Unknown Certificate Authority”
✓ File proven unaltered
✓ C2PA v2.2 compliant
✓ Formally C2PA conformant (Max Assurance Level 1)

To show “Trusted Signer,” we need our production certificate from SSL.com, a CA that appears on the viewer’s C2PA Trust List. That issuance is underway now that our conformance is confirmed, but the certificate has not been issued yet.

Bottom line: Your photos are cryptographically secure, C2PA v2.2 compliant, and produced by a formally conformant app. The “Unrecognized” warning affects how the signer is displayed, not the integrity of your data or our conformance status. It will change to “Trusted Signer” once the production certificate is issued.

Which third‑party service provides the timestamps?

DigiCert, on the C2PA TSA Trust List, issues RFC 3161‑compliant trusted timestamps that verify capture time independently of your phone’s clock. When DigiCert is unreachable, Lens signs without a timestamp rather than faking one.

What do the status icons mean?

Icon	Status	Meaning
🟢 Green Shield	Verified Trust	Your device time matches trusted network servers (Apple, Cloudflare, Google) and photos sign with a verified trusted timestamp.
🟠 Orange Antenna	Offline	Lens can’t reach trusted time servers. Choose “Enable with Limited Trust” to sign without a trusted timestamp. Verification tools will then show lower trust for the timestamp.
🔴 Red Shield	Time Tampering	Your device clock differs significantly from trusted network time. Capture and signing may be blocked (when tampering is confirmed while online) until you fix the clock (Settings → General → Date & Time → Set Automatically).

Does C2PA work with video?

Yes. Lens supports hardware‑backed signing for video files (.mov). Enable it in Settings > Content Credentials. Signed videos are saved to the Photos app and as a Master Copy in the Files app. Video manifests include device info and optionally location; capture settings (ISO, aperture, exposure) are only available for photos.

Is my signing key safe?

Yes. Your private signing key is:

Generated inside the Apple Secure Enclave (hardware security module)
Never exported. It cannot be copied, backed up, or transferred.
Device-bound. If you get a new phone, a new key is generated.
Protected by iOS. Even a jailbroken device cannot extract it.

How do I verify a signed photo?

Open the signed file in Lens to inspect its Content Credential in the app, or use the Content Authenticity Initiative verifier in your browser. Review the provenance panel to check the file's integrity and capture details.

Upload your signed photo from the Files app when using the browser verifier.

Account & Support

Do I need an account?

No. Lens works entirely without accounts or sign‑in. All data stays on your device by default.

How do I contact support?

On your iPhone:

Ideas, questions, or general feedback: Settings → Help & Support → Send feedback, questions, or thoughts. This opens the Mail app with our address, subject, and a short template (including device info). Add text and attachments in Mail, then send when you’re ready. Nothing leaves your device until you send.
Crashes, bugs, or technical issues: Settings → About → Diagnostics. There you can review logs, optionally attach a scrubbed diagnostic file, and use Report Problem to compose email in Mail.

Including your iOS version and device model helps us resolve issues faster.

How do I request a feature?

Use Send feedback, questions, or thoughts under Help & Support in Settings. Share as much context as you can (what you’re trying to do, how you work today, and why the feature would help). We review all requests.

Related Resources

Getting Started: First-time setup guide
Privacy Policy: Data handling practices
Terms of Use: Usage terms