Kapal 2.0 is the biggest update I’ve shipped, arriving as Kapal begins its second year.
When I released the first version, I hoped a few people would find it useful. Your reviews, bug reports, ideas, and messages have shaped it ever since. I’ve spent countless hours refining the experience across iOS and iPadOS, and I’m incredibly proud—and genuinely happy—to see how far Kapal has come. Thank you.
A BRAND-NEW VIDEO ENGINE
• The Universal Video Engine streams over MSE, like Frigate’s dashboard.
• In testing, it starts faster and has been more reliable than the Classic engine.
• Away from home, it can begin with a lighter stream and step up in quality as the connection allows.
• It recovers from brief Wi-Fi interruptions.
• Try it under Settings › Support. It remains opt-in while feedback is gathered.
• Both the Universal and Classic engines support Frigate 0.18’s new live protocol.
READY FOR FRIGATE 0.18
• A new Motion lane reveals movement that was not tracked as an object and opens the matching recording.
• Smarter stream detection recognizes likely sub-streams in common Frigate configurations.
• Supported detection, recording, and snapshot toggles now persist across server restarts.
• For Kapal+ owners, a new GenAI settings page explains provider status, roles, requirements, and setup.
• Playback diagnostics can be reviewed and shared without video, snapshots, or credentials.
A FULL IPAD REDESIGN
Major screens now adapt to the available space instead of stretching the iPhone layout:
• Live video with controls, settings, and activity beside it.
• Side-by-side Events, Review, Motion, and selected details.
• Timeline layouts built for portrait and landscape.
• Adaptive camera grids and sidebar navigation.
• Stage Manager and multiple windows.
• Keyboard shortcuts and pointer interactions.
A COMPLETELY NEW APPLE WATCH APP
Kapal now comes to your wrist. Browse cameras and saved servers, check recent activity and snapshots, open supported live views, and add snapshot complications to your watch face.
TIMELINE, SETTINGS & SYSTEM
• Timeline has graduated from beta, gained a full-screen presentation, and now finds footage using lightweight recording data—dramatically reducing data use, especially on cellular.
• Settings and System have been redesigned for clarity.
• Connection quality, stream health, reconnects, stalls, storage, and GPU temperature are easier to understand.
• Reconnect behavior is smarter when a server is temporarily unreachable.
• Brand-new users now receive a guided tour before connecting their first server.
NEW IN KAPAL+
• Motion Search: draw a box and find every moment something moved there.
• Motion Search Presets: save a region and its tuning, then run it over any time range.
• Ask Your Cameras: ask what happened and receive a streaming answer from Frigate’s GenAI.
• Review Activity Summaries: see activity by object and camera, plus a separate AI report of possible concerns.
• Config Profiles: switch Home, Away, Vacation, or any profile you created in Frigate.
• Cases: browse the new Exports screen, organize related clips, and download a complete incident.
• Smart Location Switching: save home and remote addresses and let Kapal choose the reachable one.
• Apple Watch: included as a new Kapal+ experience.
These join Timeline, Multiple Servers, Automatic Failover, Latest Activity widgets, Health Alerts, and PTZ Camera Control. Every new Kapal+ feature in 2.0 is included for existing owners at no extra cost. Thank you for supporting independent development.
There are also dozens of fixes and refinements throughout the app, many inspired directly by your reports.
Please keep them coming. If something doesn’t work, reach out through Support. If you have an idea, submit it to the in-app Roadmap, vote on what matters, and help shape what comes next.