Getting Started
What you need
- Two iPhones. One for the camera (SideoutCam, iOS 17 or later) and one for your hand (SideoutTally, iOS 16 or later). A newer phone makes the better camera.
- A tripod or mount that holds the camera phone sideways (landscape).
- A battery pack for long days. Recording with the screen on uses roughly 20–30% of the battery an hour.
- No Wi-Fi network needed. The two phones talk to each other directly, so it works in any gym.
First launch on the camera phone
Open SideoutCam. When asked, allow:
- Camera: to record.
- Microphone: for game sound. Without it, videos are silent.
- Local Network: so SideoutTally can find the camera.
- Photos (optional): only if you want copies of recordings in your photo library.
Then set up your team:
- Tap the Filming for card at the top of the home screen ▸ Edit My Teams….
- Your first team is already there. Tap it, give it a name (e.g. “Westview Jr. Boys”) and pick its Scoreboard team: the name, colors and logo shown on the scoreboard. If it isn’t in the list yet, add it first under Teams on the home screen (see Teams and Opponents).
That’s enough to record. Uploads and streaming can be set up later (My Teams and Accounts).
Connecting SideoutTally
- On both phones, turn Wi-Fi on in Control Center. The phones don’t need to join a network, but Wi-Fi must be switched on. With Wi-Fi off, they fall back to Bluetooth only, which is very slow.
- Open SideoutCam on the camera phone. Its home screen shows a 4-digit pairing code.
- Open SideoutTally and tap Search for Camera. Pick the camera phone from Nearby cameras and enter the code.
From then on, SideoutTally remembers the camera. Tap Reconnect to SideoutCam and it connects without the code.
Tip: SideoutTally only searches when you tap Search or Reconnect, to save battery. If the phones lose each other (you walked out of range, or locked the camera phone), tap Reconnect.
Keeping the camera phone awake
SideoutCam keeps the camera phone’s screen on while the home screen or camera screen is open, so it won’t lock in the middle of a game. If you press the side button or leave the app, the camera stops: iPhone apps can’t record in the background.
Next
- My Teams and Accounts to set up uploads and streaming
- Game Day to film your first game