Dash Cam Apps to check out in 2020 – 2021
Though we’ve made a number of technological advancements since the dawn of mankind, the human condition is something we’re still struggling to understand. Despite having learned centuries, maybe millennia of lessons collectively, struggles like famine, poverty, crime, and war are still very real for many of us. You would think we’ve have done a little better as a species by now but we haven’t. Today, with a global population of over 7.6 billion, personal safety and security are still one of our prime concerns.
The Ways We Keep Ourselves Safe
When it comes to personal safety, there are two things people in the world today prioritize. One could say the two are opposites in a sense. The first is privacy or confidentiality. The second is vigilance or scrutiny. Just as we value the integrity of our personal space, we also need to protect the same. Sometimes, a part of keeping ourselves safe involves a degree of self-surveillance.
Self-surveillance includes the use of security devices such as home security cameras, alarms, and so on. Dash cams just help push that self-surveillance up a notch!
What Are the Benefits of a Dash Cam?
A dash cam is not just a pointless piece of equipment. On the contrary, it is actually quite useful. More and more people are taking to setting up dash cams and statistics show the dash cam market is due to grow steadily due to this increase in demand. There are a number of benefits associated with having a dash cam. These include:
- Car Accident Culpability
The first and most obvious area where dash cams are useful is during the time of a car accident. Sources show that car accidents in the US are not exactly rare. Establishing culpability following a car accident can be tricky business. One of the main requirements for holding someone responsible is solid proof or evidence.
A dash cam can be extremely helpful as they equip you with unadulterated real-time evidence of whatever happens while you are behind the wheel as well as while you’re not depending on how you set up.
- Crime Recording
Apart from car accidents, a dash cam can also record other roadside crimes (such as the recent highway assault), altercations, and acts of vandalism that might occur in and around your car. You can record footage that helps identify thieves and aggressors, helps offer proof against those trying to accuse you wrongfully and record any other untoward action or behavior that may occur in your vicinity.
- Insurance Perks
Dash cams can be extremely useful with regard to insurance. A dash cam helps lower your insurance rates, make approval of insurance claims easier and prevents malicious parties from roping you into insurance fraud and other such scams.
- Parental Control
Dash cams are great ways to keep a gentle eye on your children and loved ones. This is particularly so for youngsters who have just got their licenses or those going on long road trips for the first time.
- Anything and Everything
Apart from being able to keep tabs and hence keep yourself safe in the ways mentioned above, a dash cam is a good way to record anything that may happen unexpectedly while you’re in your car or on the road. This includes everything from catching and reporting reckless drivers to documenting strange and out of the norm occurrences.
Making a long story short, having a dash cam in your car could offer a number of benefits.
Can You Use Your Phone as a Dash Cam?
Smartphones today are capable of some pretty neat stuff. You can use a smartphone to perform a several actions, some of which include scanning barcodes, navigating, getting real-time weather updates and tracking your own health.
With a plethora of advanced functions and capabilities, it is really no surprise that your smartphone can, in fact, double up as a dash cam!
How Do I Turn my Phone into a Dash Cam?
To turn your phone into a dash cam, you’re going to need a few basics pieces of equipment to help you along. These include a dock to hold or mount your phone and a sufficiently long power cable. You will also need a dash cam app, something you would need whether or not you’re using a phone as a dash cam.
So what are the available dash cam apps out there, which is the best dash cam app and what could you potentially use?
Best Dash Cam App 2020 – 2021
The year 2020 – 2021 is just around the corner and we’ve seen a lot of dash cam apps we feel are worth giving a whirl. Here are some of the best dash cam app options for those wanting to use smartphones as dash cams in 2020 – 2021.
CamOnRoad
The first app on our list of best dash cam apps for 2020 – 2021 is CamOnRoad. The CamOnRoad app is designed to temporarily convert your smartphone into a dash cam but also offers other interesting features. Some noteworthy CamOnRoad features include augmented reality integration, GPS navigation, dedicated car video browsers and even live road video streaming capabilities. Apart from this, the app is also designed for car crash detection as well as to help in making phone calls in emergencies.
What this means is you could have a whole lot more than a road cam with one free download. Better yet, CamOnRoad is available for both Android and iOS systems.
AutoBoy Dash Cam – Black Box
The AutoBoy Dash Cam – Black Box is an app that offers a string of interesting features and advanced capabilities. One of the most prominent selling features of this app is its ability to record data even when the phone is being used for other activities. Apart from this, the AutoBoy Dash Cam – Black Box app also optimizes phone memory storage by shifting and deleting files when space is needed. This app also offers more flexibility by way of video recording options and actions. Actions include focusing, zooming, and gridline displays. Apart from this, AutoBoy Dash Cam – Black Box is designed to communicate with users in over four different languages.
The app is free and is a brilliant option for Android users but was not available for iOS when we last checked.
DriveRecorder
Another free dash cam app that we recommend for Android users is DriveRecorder. The DriveRecorder dash cam app is the kind of app that would suit you best if you’re the sort of person to prize simplicity. Where DriveRecorder does cut back on a lot of the extras and frills, it provides all the essential features you would expect from a solid dash cam app. Among the most useful features are the usual dash cam recording capabilities, cloud video uploading, drive trajectory recording and background recording.
Like AutoBoy, this app might not be available to iOS users, but not to worry, we’ve got everyone covered!
Smart Dash Cam App
When it comes to dash cams for iPhones or iPads, the Smart Dash Cam app, developed by IPCamSoft.com is certainly one of the top choices. One of the things that puts this app among the best dash cam apps for iOS is the flexibility it offers users.
Users can choose between manual and automatic recording settings, select from a range of resolution options, and even play music over their phones while the app is activated and functioning. The app also records audio, auto records collisions when detected, tracks and estimates the speed of other vehicles and can sync with Google Drive, YouTube, and Dropbox.
OsmAnd DVR Dash Cam
Another dash cam app that is designed for iOS and iPhone use is the OsmAnd DVR Dash Cam app. Apart from offering the standard dash cam app features, the OsmAnd DVR Dash Cam app also offers great navigation options to users. Apart from these, the app provides speed and altitude updates, speed limit notifications, power saving, and still in-video photo capture.
This app is also free and could be counted as one of the best dash cam apps available.
Winding Down
There are numerous other dash cam app options available apart from those mentioned here. One of the benefits of downloading a dash cam app that allows your phone to double up is massive cost saving. You don’t have to invest in a separate device if you use one of the apps above.
The only precaution we would advise is not to forget your phone in the car when you’re done driving. You wouldn’t want a perfectly functional smartphone to get heat damaged or stolen! Apart from that, if you want to do a little more for yourself by way of road safety without spending too much, any one of the dash cam apps listed should be helpful!
