Everything, in order.
Kapal 1.7.3 — Snapshots, Sharing, and Smarter Alerts
A massive thank-you to everyone using the Roadmap in Settings to submit ideas and vote on what comes next. Every single feature in this update came directly from your suggestions and the community votes that pushed them to the top. This is your release.
WHAT'S NEW
KEEP THE IDEAS COMING
Every feature above started as a comment in the Roadmap. Settings → System → Roadmap. Submit what you want, vote on what others have asked for, and be specific! The more clearly you describe the use case, the easier it is to design the right thing.
Thank you for making Kapal better. :)
What’s New in Kapal
This update fixes an issue where some videos would stop playing after 5 seconds.
Onboarding has also been improved, especially for users who need to enter a username and password, making setup smoother and easier to follow.
New in this release: Roadmap. You can now submit your own feature ideas and vote on future improvements directly in the app. Find it under the System tab, at the bottom near the Contact Support button.
This release also marks build 50 for Kapal. A special thank you to everyone who has reached out for support, reported issues, and shared suggestions along the way. Kapal gets better because of users like you, and your feedback directly shapes what comes next.
I appreciate your ongoing support and a big thank you to those who reach out with suggestions!
Bug fixes and quality improvements:
What’s New in This Version
Major update: first pass for H.265 support is here.
Sandar now includes an initial implementation for H.265 camera streams, with smarter playback handling and fallback behavior designed for real-world mixed-camera setups.
Also major in this release: Active Events to Top.
You can now prioritize cameras with active detections so important activity is surfaced first, while still falling back to your configured camera order when activity clears.
Additional improvements in this version:
• Improved stream startup and recovery to avoid black-screen dead ends.
• Better on-screen connection status messaging during load, retry, and fallback.
• Faster failure detection for streams that report “ready” but never render video frames.
• Automatic fallback path improvements (main → sub/snapshot) when a stream is not playable.
• Better handling for non-16:9 cameras (like doorbells) with proper letterboxing/pillarboxing.
• Top header controls now auto-hide when idle and reappear on remote movement.
• Stability hardening in camera reorder and event parsing paths.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact hey@judeworks.app.
What's new:
What’s New
This update comes to you from a laundromat in Miami while I’m on vacation, because apparently that is when I decided to finally wrap up Kapal’s H.265 / HEVC support.
Main Improvements
H.265 / HEVC Reliability
This is a major H.265 / HEVC update for Kapal. Live camera streams and event clips using H.265 should now work much more reliably, including setups that previously failed or behaved inconsistently.
One of my own H.265 cameras has been a long-running troublemaker: unreliable live view, unreliable event playback, and constant edge cases exposing gaps in Kapal’s playback support. With this update, that camera is now correctly streaming its main feed and playing back events reliably.
Stream Quality Selection
You can now tap the stream quality while viewing a live camera and switch qualities directly from there. Kapal will remember your selection and use it as the default for that camera.
Other Improvements
If you have a camera, stream, or event clip that still does not play correctly, please reach out: hey@judeworks.app
About this app:
Kapal
A minimal, secure viewer for your Frigate NVR system.
Kapal is a lightweight and privacy-focused iOS and iPadOS app built specifically for users of the Frigate NVR (Network Video Recorder) system. Designed with simplicity, performance, and security in mind, Kapal lets you connect to your Frigate server and monitor your camera feeds with ease, without unnecessary bloat.
Key Features:
Whether you’re reviewing a single feed or monitoring multiple zones, Kapal keeps the interface fast, clean, and efficient.
Disclaimer:
Kapal requires an existing Frigate NVR system to function. H.265 / HEVC support is still evolving and compatibility may vary depending on your camera, stream configuration, and Frigate/go2rtc setup. If an Event Clip does not play correctly in Kapal, it may still work in a dedicated video player such as the VLC mobile app.
App Store details:
What's new:
I’ve found myself relying on Estimated Time to Goal a lot while walking, and one thing kept bothering me: the experience could feel delayed because it depended entirely on live HealthKit updates.
Estimated Time to Goal was already available before, but this update makes it faster and more accurate by using optional motion activity data to estimate your current steps per minute in real time.
Existing users who have already completed onboarding will be prompted after updating to enable motion activity access, while new users will see the request during onboarding. This release also includes general performance improvements, stability updates, and bug fixes.
About this app:
Daily Petal offers a simple, visual way to track your steps.
As you walk, your daily steps help grow a digital flower that reflects your progress over time. With Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, you can check your bloom and step progress without opening the app.
— YOUR MONTH IN BLOOM —
Each month, a new flower appears. Every petal represents a day, growing as you move closer to your goal. It is a clear, gentle way to see your progress one day at a time.
— WIDGETS THAT KEEP IT CLOSE —
See your flower on your Lock Screen and Home Screen, track your step count, and check your daily goal progress at a glance.
— A MORE VISUAL WAY TO TRACK —
Each petal reflects your activity throughout the day, giving you a simple picture of how much you moved. Every flower becomes a small record of your month.
— SIMPLE, THOUGHTFUL INTERACTIONS —
Tap a petal to look back on a day, drag across the flower to move through the month, or pinch to zoom in and see the details.
— A QUIET SENSE OF PROGRESS —
When you reach your daily step goal, your petal is marked with a soft golden glow. A small visual reward for staying consistent.
— NEW FLOWERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR —
Each month brings a different flower design, giving your progress a fresh look as the seasons change.
— PETAL POWER —
Unlock 18 premium flowers inspired by real blooms from around the world, including Sacred Lotus, Tropical Hibiscus, Blushing Peony, English Rose, and more. Choose which flower represents each month and make your garden your own.
— PRIVACY FIRST —
Your health data stays on your device. No accounts, no servers, and no data leaves your phone.
Download Daily Petal and start growing your garden, one step at a time.
App Store details:
New in this update: live pace estimates for your daily step goal.
While your steps are actively updating, you can now see an estimate of how much time is left to reach your goal based on your current pace. To view it, tap the current steps / goal steps stat at the top of the screen to cycle through your stats until the estimated time remaining appears.
This update also makes live tracking smoother and improves a few detail-view interactions.
Today’s update makes Daily Petal feel even more responsive and personalized.
What’s new:
A personal note:
Ever since widgets were added, I’ve found myself hitting my goals daily. I’m really hoping they’re feeling just as useful and empowering for you too.
Your flower made it to the Lock Screen!
New Widgets
Other Updates
Added logic to automatically refresh the Events tab so data stays fresher. Thank you to the user who suggested this change.
What's new:
What’s New in Weekie
Weekie is now freemium. Core planning stays free, with a new Weekie Plus upgrade for families who want more.
Thanks for supporting Weekie!
About this app:
Tired of the daily "what are we doing now?" struggle? Weekie is a unique visual planner designed for kids to build their own weekly schedule, giving them a sense of ownership and independence while parents maintain control behind the scenes.
By letting your child drag and drop fun, visual activities into their week, you can reduce arguments over screen time, teach valuable planning skills, and bring a predictable, stress-free rhythm to your family's routine.
Key Features:
Fun & Intuitive for Kids:
•Drag & Drop Simplicity: Children can easily plan their day by dragging activities from the palette onto the weekly calendar.
•Visual Activities: Activities are represented by fun emojis or your own custom photos, making it perfect for pre-readers and visual learners.
•Read Aloud Accessibility: With an optional setting, the app can read activity names aloud when they are dragged, making it accessible and fun for early readers.
Powerful & Flexible for Parents:
•You Set the Structure: From a simple onboarding process, you define the week's rules. Choose between 1, 2, or 3 activity blocks per day (e.g., Morning, Afternoon, Evening).
•Set Smart Limits: Prevent overscheduling by limiting each block by either total time (e.g., no more than 2 hours of activities) or by the number of activities (e.g., a maximum of 3 activities per block).
•Flexible for Your Family: Create a simple schedule that's the same every day, set different rules for weekdays and weekends, or customize each day of the week individually to fit your family's unique needs.
•Parent-Protected Settings: All settings, activity creation, and editing are kept secure behind a simple parent gate to ensure kids can't accidentally change the rules.
Create, Manage, and Share:
•Custom Activities: Easily add any activity your family loves, from "Bike Ride" and "Library Time" to "Clean Room" or "Tablet Time." Set a name, duration, and a fun visual.
•Share Your Plan: Export the entire weekly schedule as a clean, high-resolution image to share with family members, or add all the events directly to your Apple Calendar with a single tap to keep everyone in sync.
Weekie helps turn planning from a chore into a collaborative and empowering activity. Give your child the confidence to plan their own fun, while you enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a well-structured week.
Download Weekie today and build your family's perfect week, together!
App Store details:
One of the last visual tweaks I wanted to ship after recently refreshing the Cameras feed and System menu was the Events experience, and this update delivers that.
What’s new in this update
Fixes and polish
What's new:
What's New
About this app:
Living Frame: Bring Your Memories to Life
Turn your old iPhones and iPads into magical, motion-activated picture frames! Living Frame uses your device’s built-in gyroscope to detect subtle vibrations — no camera required — and instantly brings your favorite Live Photos to life.
Designed for older devices, Living Frame gives new purpose to hardware running iOS/iPadOS 12.0 and newer. Perfect for turning your spare devices into beautiful, interactive displays.
Inspired by the wonder of animated galleries, Living Frame lets you relive the spontaneous moments captured in Live Photos. Whether it’s a smile, a wave, or a small laugh you almost forgot — Living Frame makes those memories move again, surprising and delighting you and your family.
Features:
• Motion-triggered playback using only the gyroscope (no camera!)
• Optimized for iOS/iPadOS 12.0 and up
• Revive old iPhones and iPads with a joyful new purpose
• Celebrate the magic hidden in your Live Photos
• Simple, elegant setup for home, gallery, or office
Living Frame is about rediscovering the magic of your memories — with a spark of futuristic wonder.
Thank you for taking the time to explore Living Frame. We hope it brings as much joy to your family as it has to ours!
App Store details:
This update is proof that one email can spiral into a full revamp: a simple request turned into rebuilt onboarding and much better server management.
What’s new and improved:
•Fixed cases where Kapal could show “no cameras” even though you were connected and cameras were still loading
•Better connection handling: Kapal now detects disconnects while you’re using it and prompts you instead of requiring a quit/relaunch
•Cleaner settings layout (system options moved out of Camera Settings into the System view)
•Server URL testing when you add a server to confirm connectivity and help you choose the most secure option available
•Added a Support button during onboarding if you hit issues getting your server authorized
•Plus a pile of smaller polish and consistency fixes throughout the app
Also introducing Kapal+ to help fund ongoing development, with:
•Multiple servers
•Server priority ordering
•Automatic failover if your primary server goes down
I’ve got a ton of ideas queued up for what’s next. The only big area left that still needs the full treatment is the Events page — and I’m looking forward to improving it soon.
And seriously: keep the feedback coming. If one email can cause this much change, imagine what two could do.
Introducing Petal Power
Unlock 18 stunning premium flower designs inspired by real flowers from around the world — from Sacred Lotus and Tropical Hibiscus to English Rose and Wisteria Cascade.
With Petal Power, you can choose exactly which flower blooms for each month, making your garden truly yours.
New in this update:
Plus: Your flower choice is locked in once the month ends, preserving your garden's history.
What's new:
We found a TV that wasn’t displaying our onboarding colors correctly, which made things hard to read. We’ve updated the onboarding to use a more compatible, high‑contrast look so it’s clear on all TVs. Thanks for bearing with us!
About this app:
Sandar brings your Frigate NVR security system to the Big Screen with a beautiful, native experience designed for your living room.
LIVE CAMERA MONITORING
View all your security cameras in a customizable grid layout. Choose between 2-6 columns to fit your setup perfectly. Streams adapt automatically — using high-quality main streams, sub-streams, or snapshots based on your network and camera capabilities.
BIRDSEYE VIEW
See your entire property at once with Frigate's Birdseye feature. Sandar displays it prominently so you always have the full picture.
AUTO-ROTATE MODE
Turn your TV into a dedicated security monitor. Auto-rotate cycles through your cameras automatically, showing each feed for your chosen duration. Perfect for keeping an eye on things while you go about your day.
REAL-TIME DETECTION ALERTS
When Frigate detects a person, car, or other object, Sandar shows it instantly. Red indicators highlight active detections so you never miss what matters.
FLEXIBLE STREAMING
Sandar intelligently manages streams to balance quality and performance. It automatically detects what each camera supports and falls back gracefully when needed. You can also manually choose stream quality per camera.
PRIVACY FOCUSED
Sandar connects directly to your Frigate server on your local network. No cloud services, no accounts, no data collection. Your cameras stay private.
REQUIREMENTS
Sandar is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Frigate project.
App Store details:
What's new:
PicReport 2.0 — Major Update
PicReport 2.0 is a full visual overhaul. What used to be a simple sorted list is now a complete analysis workspace with charts, timelines, and reporting.
What’s new:
If you used 1.x, 2.0 will feel like a new app—same core idea, but far more insight at a glance.
About this app:
PicReport: Analyze Your Photos Like a Pro
PicReport for Mac turns your photo library into clear, actionable insights. Drag and drop JPEG and RAW files to instantly surface the EXIF data that matters most.
What you can analyze:
Why it’s useful:
See what you actually shoot—by lens, focal length, and camera. Spot patterns, optimize your gear, and make smarter decisions based on real usage.
Key features:
Perfect for:
Download PicReport and make your photo data work for you.
App Store details:
What’s New
This update improves live stream reliability and playback recovery.
What's new:
What's New in This Version
Fixed compatibility with the latest Plex server updates - the app now connects reliably again!
New theater-style poster frames with animated marquee lights give your Now Playing display that classic cinema look. Tap anywhere to cycle through different display modes:
Also fixed a few bugs and improved the overall stability of the app.
Enjoy your movie night!
About this app:
Transform your iPad into a dedicated Plex display
Play Poster turns your iPad into a beautiful companion display for your Plex media server. Whether you have an older iPad looking for a new purpose or want to dedicate a current device, it shows full-screen poster art and information for whatever's currently playing on your Plex server.
How it works:
• Connects directly to your Plex server (local network or remote)
• Displays poster art, title, and playback progress when media is playing
• Shows a rotating slideshow of recently added content when idle
• Full-screen immersive experience with auto-hiding controls
• Updates automatically every 5 seconds
Features:
• Clean, distraction-free full-screen interface
• Support for both movies and TV shows
• Tap to show/hide detailed information and summaries
• Automatic content refresh every hour
• Works with iPadOS 15 and later
Perfect for:
• Giving older iPads a new dedicated purpose
• Second screen setups in home theaters
• Displaying current playback in common areas
• Adding visual appeal to your entertainment space
Setup is simple:
Just enter your Plex server URL, port, and authentication token. The app validates your connection before saving, ensuring a smooth experience from the start.
Note: Requires an existing Plex Media Server and valid Plex account.
App Store details:
What's new:
VERSION UPDATE NOTES:
LIVE STREAMS ARE HERE!
Turn any channel into a 24/7 live stream. Connect to Owncast servers or paste any .m3u8 stream URL to watch retro TV streams, internet radio stations, and more—all with that classic Channel 90 feel.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Grab the remote and enjoy!
About this app:
Don't just watch your videos—relive them. Channel 90 turns your iPad into a time machine, bringing back the joy and randomness of 90s television.
Here's the 4-1-1:
LOAD YOUR FAVORITES: Easily import any video from your device. Think classic cartoons, old home movies, or your favorite action flicks.
TUNE INTO LIVE STREAMS: Connect to Owncast servers or add any .m3u8 stream URL to watch 24/7 retro TV streams, internet radio stations, or your favorite live content—right on your personal TV station.
BECOME THE STATION MANAGER: Group your videos into custom-named channels. Finally, a channel that plays nothing but your favorite stuff, 24/7!
SURF'S UP: Swipe to change channels. Experience the thrill of discovering what's on next, with a satisfying zap of static between each flip.
REMEMBER COMMERCIALS? Add your own video clips to a "Commercials" pool and watch them appear between programs for a truly authentic blast from the past.
CHECK THE GUIDE: A single tap brings up a classic, on-screen TV guide to see your custom-generated schedule.
With a retro design, CRT screen effects, and a focus on simple, joyful discovery, Channel 90 is less of an app and more of an experience. It's also a fantastic way to make use of older iPads, turning them into a portal to the past.
Grab your snacks, get comfortable, and get ready to get nostalgic.
Please Note: Bring Your Own Tapes!
Channel 90 is your personal TV station, which means you provide the programming. The app is a powerful media player and does not come with any pre-loaded TV shows, movies, or commercials. To start your marathon, simply add your own video files from your iPad or connect to your favorite live streams.
App Store details:
What's new:
What's New
Weekly progress rings
See your last 7 days at a glance, right from the main screen. Powered by HealthKit so it includes water logged anywhere.
Living water
The water surface now gently ripples with layered waves.
About this app:
I was looking for a simple water tracker. One that let me open the app, tap a button to add my drink, and get back to my life.
What I found were apps filled with ads, confusing graphs, and constant pressure to buy a subscription. I wanted a tool, not a chore.
So, I built Biru.
Biru is the water tracker I always wanted. It's built on one core idea: tracking your water should be fast, simple, and completely frustration-free.
WHY BIRU IS DIFFERENT:
• NO CLUTTER, PURE FOCUS: Biru's beautiful, clean interface shows you just what you need: your daily progress as a calming, rising wave. Nothing else gets in your way.
• GET IN, GET OUT, GET HYDRATED: Log your water with a single tap. Customize your quick-add buttons to match your favorite water bottle, and you're done in seconds. This is the fastest way to track your intake.
• NO ADS, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS. EVER: Biru is about hydration, not monetization. The app is yours, with no ads to distract you or subscriptions to worry about. It's just a simple, honest tool that does its job perfectly.
• A SIMPLE, SMART START: Answer a few quick questions, and Biru will suggest a personal daily goal for you. It's a smart starting point that you can easily adjust at any time.
• SEAMLESS APPLE HEALTH SYNC: Your water intake is part of your overall health. Biru integrates perfectly with Apple Health to keep all your data in one secure place.
If you've been searching for a water tracker that respects your time and your focus, your search is over.
App Store details:
What's New
Birdseye Auto-Hide
Birdseye can now automatically show and hide based on activity. When set to "Only With Detections," Birdseye appears when objects are detected on any camera and disappears when activity stops. Find this option in Settings → Birdseye → Visibility.
Improved Network Performance
Fixed an issue where snapshot requests could pile up on slower connections. The app now waits for each request to complete before starting another and automatically backs off when experiencing connection issues.
Thank you for using Kapal! If you have feedback or run into any issues, please reach out via Settings → Contact Support.
Smarter Streams, Faster Loading
This update improves how Kapal connects to camera streams and makes setup cleaner.
SMART STREAM DETECTION
FASTER CONNECTIONS
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE
NEW SETUP GUIDE
SETTINGS CLEANUP
BUG FIXES
If Kapal’s been useful, an App Store review helps a lot.
Questions or issues: Settings → Contact Support.
What’s New in Kapal
First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who has given Kapal a shot. Building this has been a labor of love, and seeing others find it useful really keeps me going.
This update brings several new features to help you keep an eye on your home:
Note: To get the most out of the new Birdseye features, please ensure you have 'restream: True' enabled in your Frigate config.
I’m still working hard to make this the best experience possible, so if you have any questions, feedback, or just want to report a bug, please reach out at hey@judeworks.app. I’d love to hear from you!