Choose the moment before the format
A still photo works for a table after lunch, a view or a detail you noticed. A short clip works when motion or sound matters: a friend waving, a passing boat or the last seconds of a performance you are allowed to record. Three seconds is a small observation, not a requirement to make a miniature production.
Open the camera from the main + flow or Hop. Choose Photo or Video before recording. The current app does not import an existing camera-roll library into this capture flow.
Let the recording limit do one clear job
Video shows elapsed time against the three-second limit and stops automatically at the limit. You can stop earlier. The camera then gives you a review rather than immediately publishing or saving a permanent moment.
Use keeps the capture; Retake lets you try again. Cancel should abandon only the operation’s temporary capture, not your previous photos or clips. A failed or interrupted capture is not evidence of a saved moment, so check the review before moving on.
Keep the context honest
A saved moment carries its capture time and an observed position when available. A place name is not guessed from whichever map position happens to be visible later. If GPS is unavailable, the photo remains useful without a fabricated location label.
The supporting day map can still show genuine movement recorded elsewhere that day. That geometry does not prove the location of every photo. In the Daily Hop, one capture caption avoids repeating the same place both above and below the media.
Make sharing a later choice
Saving a moment does not post it to friends or start a background movie render. Review the day privately, then create a video only when you want one. The current manual originals backup can preserve photos and validated short clips, including source sound where recorded.
Camera and microphone permissions are separate. Apple’s privacy guide explains access controls. Nowhop requests the microphone only when you explicitly record Video; a photo does not need audio permission. This describes the development build, not an App Store release.
Questions this guide answers
Can I take more than one photo or clip per day?
Yes. There is no one-capture-per-day rule in this design. Each video is limited to three seconds; photos and additional short moments can be captured throughout the day.
Is a clip saved as soon as I stop recording?
The review comes first. Use keeps it; Retake or cancel does not confirm it. This avoids turning every accidental recording into a permanent entry.
Can I record without a GPS position?
A moment can still be retained without inventing a position. Its time remains meaningful; any unavailable place caption or map cursor should be omitted rather than guessed.
What if I open the camera while browsing yesterday?
A new capture uses its actual current time, not the day you happened to be viewing. Browsing a trip date does not authorize backdating a new photograph or clip into that trip.
Can I import old gallery photos through this camera flow?
No general gallery import is implemented. Restoring a validated Nowhop archive is a separate recovery operation. A stored photo original is the app’s normalized JPEG, not a promise of untouched sensor or EXIF bytes.
Sources & scope
Official pages reviewed for this guide on October 31, 2026. Features and availability can change; check the linked provider before choosing.
Nowhop behavior is based on our implementation specification. Public demos use samples. Read our editorial approach.
See how a day comes together.
Try the Nowhop preview ↗Sample data. No sign-up or location access.