How to make cheap, no residue and reusable iPhone camera privacy covers

[@djyomomma1306]

RUBBER BAND.. is my favorite hack.. a thick rubber band.. covers back and front, easy to move, protects it from scratches and gives the phone traction on surfaces... BEST IDEA (of mine) lol

[@sunknudsen]

I totally agree this is a great alternative. Did you manage to source back rubber bands? I believe the best fit for an iPhone SE like mine is the #73 size.

[@rb5957]

I have an iPhone 11. The rubberband sounds like a good idea but I don’t see how it wouldn’t cover the phone speaker (earpiece) at the top of the phone. Could you send a link to an image of how you use it?

[@InappropriateShorts]

@@rb5957 just put something into the lightning port and you’ll be set

[@rb5957]

@@InappropriateShorts what do u mean?

[@d0nj03]

@@rb5957 I guess they mean to use wired headphones to listen to the sound output instead of the phone speaker. Also allows you to implement solutions that physically block the embedded microphones at all times so they can't spy on you, and then you only ever use wired or Bluetooth headsets for calls.

[@Destroyess003]

FINALLY! Thank you thank you!! I’ve been trying to figure out how to be protected from the cameras. I had the little slider for my previous iPhone XS Max and it worked beautifully but now I have a iPhone 14 Plus and none of them work for the size of the front cameras and sensor placements. I wish someone would come out with one just like phone cases. But this will work and serve its purpose! I like the rubber and idea too. Thank you everyone!

[@quietwarriors2625]

Finally found gold. Thanks man appreciate your work and thanks for educating me with privacy and stuff.

[@speakingfreely6770]

Video begins at 2:50. You are welcome.

[@machyavelli4890]

I used electrical tape and like you, I didn't care for the adhesive residue, especially when it blocked the camera lens itself causing blurred pictures. To solve that, I cut a small piece off of a post it note, laid it atop the camera, then put the electrical tape with a tab over it. It still left residue around the edges but, at least I could peel off the cover and take an unblurred pic when needed. The pro artist tape may remove the need for this solution, so I will give it a try. Thanks for being a problem solver.

[@mirrormimi]

I still don't wanna give up on finding/DIYing a case with a phone cover... But this exactly what I wanted in the meantime. Even if I do find a case, if I ever want to switch it or have the phone case-less this will be super super useful. Great video, thank you!!

[@sunknudsen]

The only case I could find with a camera blocker (which isn't pretty) only block the rear-facing camera. Tape is the best we have so far...

[@tdswindlertdameritrade]

See Spy-Fy iPhone case. Only one to get both cameras covered. I want to get a sticker cover since I love my case. I wish I could clamp these camera covers on

[@MeMe-ln3dr]

I’ve been using blue masking tape because it doesn’t leave residue. It I’m glad that I’ve found black tape!

[@natekingcole]

What was that physical camera cover you cut to at :56? Thanks :-)

[@sunknudsen]

Hi there, link is in the description. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0748FZX99

[@natekingcole]

Do’h. My bad.

[@familyplan979]

Currently unavailable as of 7-1-21. Etsy has a bunch of similar and even customized versions.

[@dark_emperor9427]

What about the microphone? Have you got any privacy ideas for it ?

[@sunknudsen]

Great question! Unfortunately I don’t except for not having the phone on me when addition privacy is required or, at the very least, turning it off. Anyone has suggestions?

[@themissinfowar6629]

Snowden disconnected his physically inside the phone and used earphones with the mic 🎙 on them. Then you plug em in only when you need em. Not much else you can do.

[@d0nj03]

@@sunknudsen How about putting your phone in the protector case in reverse position top to bottom? Depending on the phone it might cover one or both microphones at both ends of the phone if the case holes from the opposite end don't match the microphone positions. Bonus: you also get full rear-camera coverage with no tape or any other extraneous solutions. The downside would be you always have to take the phone out of the case to talk or use the rear camera. The sadist in me would prefer to use a crinkly plastic bag that always makes brain-destroying noises during handling, and keep the phone in that instead of a regular protector, just to put horrible loud and distorted noises into the recordings of anyone trying to spy on you, but that would be even less convenient for you to have to regularly move your phone into and out of, and would significantly degrade the thermal performance of the phone. :/

[@XYLEMzeGIANT]

I prefer a wide rubber band .. or cutting a balloon into stripes also does the trick.. covers back and front and easily removable..

[@sunknudsen]

Fantastic idea... how does this affect sound?

[@jeffmartin4238]

Instead of a rubber band, I cut a cross section (5 to 10mm) from an old fixie (700cc) bicycle inner tube. It covers my front facing camera and is tight enough to stay in place. Plus you can make plenty extra for friends. This idea came to my while I was watching this very video. Be healthy ride a bike.

[@sunknudsen]

That idea is awesome, thanks for sharing!

[@d0nj03]

But doesn't that cover a whole bunch of screen area, especially the status bar at the top? How is that acceptable?

[@rocketgurl_66]

The lens core you showed at the beginning I put on my phone in the front. It works great. However, it doesn’t allow face recognition to unlock my phone now. Not sure why as I can see the camera perfectly through the cover when I open it. I may have to switch to tape because I have my apps also using face recognition as well and it’s a pain to have to remember pins each time.

[@d0nj03]

Why would you ever use face recognition if you're worried about what the software on your phone is doing with the camera footage you allow it to get?

[@rocketgurl_66]

@@d0nj03 I use it because I don’t know all my passwords and it is such a pain to type them all in. Not all are saved on LastPass. I use it when I want but I don’t want my phone just laying there taking photos.

[@AwiCreates]

Came here just after watching Black Mirror series!!!!!!

[@gavi3440]

Where is your webcam cover from ?

[@sunknudsen]

Hey, I believe there is an affiliate link in the description.

[@franciscomiramontes1671]

Can you provide a link for the tape you used?

[@sunknudsen]

Thanks for reporting this Francisco. I removed links when I opted out from Amazon affiliate program. www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVAZYES

[@mardiemedia]

Thanks for a nice lash tip! And also fir not supporting worldkilling Amazon or shopping more than needed. how to avoid how do you avoid to lose the tape when phones in the pockets? greets from europe

[@AliAli-vm3kn]

Bro I couldn’t find it at Amazon please help

[@alalal123421]

want it for my lgv60 not an iphone and tryna find a way to do it without having to completely remove and put back every time

[@tdswindlertdameritrade]

See Spy-Fy iPhone case. Only one to get both cameras covered. I want to get a sticker cover since I love my case. I wish I could clamp these camera covers on

[@f-22r]

For the so called selfy camera you can use an ordinary white paper label and then colour it in with a small marker pen such as a CD pen. It'll stay on for many months, or even years. Of course it's single use so if you need to use the camera you have to remove it and install a new one. You can even use labels with a rounded edge to fit the shape of the cutout such as Avery ones. It looks much better than this idea anyway. I don't cover my main camera as it's either not facing me or it's face down on a table.

[@thexuser6477]

someone needs to invest in cam-privacy cases..

[@markmybirds3695]

A dab of black fingernail polish works well on the rear-facing cam and can be easily be removed with a fingernail when it hardens. However, it does not last forever.

[@sunknudsen]

I guess the challenge is finding a solution that allows us to use the cameras once in a while while hiding them most of the time. Tape is the only solution I found yet.

[@SaffyFoo]

Thank you

[@matjohn4092]

I use Post-It Notes

[@dicegamenetwork]

I did the same thing with my device, put black tape. We should make a 3D printed phone case.

[@JungGoodNota-l8z]

..u should disclose at the beginning that you'll be doing a filibuster before putting a piece of tape on a cell phone..js

[@karelledrumathe]

You can easily find cases that provide rear camera cover and you can use the same thingy you have one your laptop for the front camera. I personally find that way more practical than a piece of tape.

[@sunknudsen]

Hey Karel, I wasn’t able to find an iPhone 7 case that I liked with a built-in rear-facing camera cover and I don’t use the front-facing camera much so somehow tape works for me. That being said, please drop case recommendations here if you found nice ones. 😊

[@Destroyess003]

The sliders don’t work for the front camera on a lot of newer model phones. So the tape would be practical in the meantime until someone invents something to be used universally or for each model upgrade on phones that have more camera and sensors in the front.

[@boyblucas8439]

Sold!

[@nickj4526]

There’s a case that covers the front and back camera with a sliding mechanism. It’s called the Eyepatch Case. You can get it on their website for $25.

[@sunknudsen]

Thanks for sharing... stumbled upon that case but I find it looks awful.. I prefer tape haha.

[@spacegirl881]

What about the microphone. People are listening! 😁

[@andreo.7370]

You could sell the tape and profit lol

[@yuvikapasricha2831]

I am here after watching Black Mirror 😬

[@drliz6783]

This gave me so much anxiety

[@sunknudsen]

Sorry to read that... have you watched kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmXWdH-erpKlrZo This episode talks about privacy-related anxiety.

[@drliz6783]

It's nothing against you but this video was very very long.

[@sunknudsen]

Oh, that kind of anxiety... that's much easier to solve.

[@SeriousMoonlight666]

Sorry but what is wrong with this picture? Wtf have Apple not to date introduced anything? No built in privacy shutters etc? Simple easy design and much needed yet they will charge an arm n leg ...so people can make the cool elegant designs all hokey with rubber bands, balloon bits and tape??? LOL

[@aqwa87]

So u made an 8 min video to show us how to put tape on an iphone...? Perfect example of smart people doing stupid things.

[@sunknudsen]

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry this episode was a little underwhelming. I spent a considerable amount of time scratching my itch for a reusable adhesive that doesn’t cake the screen and wanted to share the tip. Stay tuned for deeper episodes!

[@aqwa87]

@@sunknudsen Thank you for sharing. Your tip was usefull to some one, no doubt (perhaps even me some day). However, i felt like it did not require the full 8 minutes to explain :P . Nonetheless, always looking forward to your content. Great work!

[@johnwig285]

@@sunknudsen No man don't apologise. You went to great lengths to explain the rationale and steps. There are some like elderlies who'll wonder why would u cover ur cam for in the first place and assume u shouldve bought a cam-less phone. Ur explanation makes everything clearer such as pull-tab etc