Record Video With a Timestamp: Date, Time and GPS

A photo records a condition; a video records a process: handing over a vehicle, walking through an apartment, the course of an installation. If you want to record video with a timestamp, you face the same problem as with photos: the capture time and location exist at best in the file’s metadata, and nothing is visible in the picture itself. From version 2.3.0, Foto Notes records video on iPhone and iPad with the same burned-in stamp the app has been writing into photos. Video recording comes to Android later.

The stamp runs with the recording

Foto Notes renders the stamp into every single frame while the camera is running, rather than laying it over the finished video at the end. The clock inside it keeps ticking second by second: pause the video later, and each still frame shows the time it was recorded. If you move, the address, the compass heading and the dot on the map thumbnail follow your new position. Resolving an address requires an internet connection, while GPS coordinates and altitude work offline.

Composition and styling match the photo stamp: the same elements, the same settings, the same live preview in the viewfinder. What you see there is what ends up in the video. The one exception is placement: in video the stamp always sits on the image. The above and below the photo layouts exist for photos only, because an extra strip would change the video’s frame size. Which elements you can switch on and off individually is covered in the guide on how to timestamp photos on iPhone.

Why burned in rather than in the metadata

Videos are rarely passed on in their original form. Sending them through a messenger, uploading them to a portal or converting them to another format re-encodes the file, and the metadata usually does not survive that route. A timestamp that sits in the pixels does: in the compressed copy, in a still frame taken from it, and in print. The article on burned-in timestamps versus EXIF data covers the difference between the two approaches.

How it works

Below the shutter sits a three-position switch: Video, Photo and Check-in. In video mode the shutter becomes the familiar red record button, the elapsed time appears above the preview, and the screen stays on for the duration of the recording.

The app fixes the orientation when recording starts, depending on whether you hold the device in portrait or landscape. Turning the phone mid-recording does not change it, since a video can only have one orientation. Recording is in Full HD, as HEVC or H.264 to match the format setting you chose for photos.

The app records sound as soon as you have granted microphone access. It asks once; without permission it produces a silent video rather than none at all. The finished recording goes to your device’s photo library like a photo, with the capture location in its metadata.

What happens when something interrupts

A video recording runs for minutes, and a lot can happen in that time. If a recording breaks off uncontrolled, the entire sequence is lost, not just a single frame.

• Before starting, the app checks that there is enough free storage and that it is allowed to write to the photo library.
• An incoming call or a switch to the background ends the recording cleanly. The app finalises whatever was captured up to that point and saves it.
• If storage runs low during recording, the app stops on its own, saves the material and tells you why.
• If the device gets too warm, it does the same. Under moderate heat it first only stretches the interval at which the stamp is refreshed, so the recording can continue.
• After a hard interruption (a flat battery, a system crash) the recording remains playable, because the app checkpoints the file continuously. The next time you open the app, it moves the recording into your photo library and tells you so.

Limits

Video recording is part of Pro, available as a subscription or as a one-time purchase, with no subscription required. The three photos with the full Pro scope after installing do not cover video; until you buy Pro, a crown marks the video mode in the switcher. Taking stamped photos is unaffected.

Retroactive stamping still applies to photos only, not to existing videos: Foto Notes burns the stamp in while recording and does not process finished video files. And the stamp cannot be removed or edited afterwards. A timestamp that can be edited later would prove nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Which version and which devices support video recording?

Foto Notes 2.3.0 and later on iPhone and iPad. Video recording comes to the Android version later; there the app records photos only for now.

Does the timestamp survive if I send the video to someone?

Yes. The stamp is part of the image, so it survives messenger compression, conversion to another format and the extraction of individual still frames. Metadata is frequently lost along those routes; a visible stamp is not.

Does the app record sound?

Yes, provided you have granted microphone access. If you decline it, the app records silently rather than refusing to record.

Can existing videos be stamped afterwards?

No. Retroactive stamping from EXIF data is reserved for photos, as described in the article on adding a timestamp to existing photos. For video, the stamp is created during recording only.

How long can a recording be?

The app sets no fixed limit. Available storage is the constraint, and because the app keeps an eye on it while recording, a long capture ends with a saved file rather than an error.

Is the video processed in the cloud?

No. Recording and burning in the stamp happen entirely on the device. Foto Notes has no backend that recordings could be uploaded to.

To see the result for yourself, install Foto Notes and record a short sequence: a still frame taken from it carries the date, time and location visibly in the picture.