This is the first step for most people. Here’s the full flow.
What you need
- An old iPhone (anything iPhone 8 or newer running iOS 16+)
- A USB-C or Lightning charger nearby (camera mode keeps the screen on)
- Your viewer phone — the iPhone you carry every day, with Oriel installed
Both phones don’t need to be on the same Wi-Fi (Oriel uses internet-based P2P), but for first pairing, same network is faster.
Step-by-step
- On the camera phone: install Oriel from the App Store. Open it. Tap “Use as camera” when prompted.
- The camera phone will show a 6-character pairing code on screen — it stays valid for 5 minutes.
- On your viewer phone: open Oriel → Add Camera → Enter pairing code.
- Type in the 6 characters. Tap Pair.
- Within ~3 seconds, both phones should show “Paired successfully”. The camera phone now shows the live preview; the viewer phone shows it in your camera list.
If pairing fails
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Code expired” | Took longer than 5 min | Tap “Generate new code” on camera phone |
| “Code not found” | Typo, or both phones not on internet | Recheck spelling; verify both have data |
| Both screens spin forever | Restrictive network (school/corp Wi-Fi) | Try mobile data on at least one phone |
| Camera phone screen says “Connect to power” and won’t proceed | Battery below 20% | Plug it in (camera mode is power-hungry) |
After pairing
The camera phone needs to stay on, plugged in, and the Oriel app open. We use Camera Mode UI that dims the screen and prevents auto-lock, but iOS will eventually suspend backgrounded apps. Mount the phone somewhere it has power and a clear view.
For permanent setup, see Mounting your camera phone — wall mounts, suction cups, etc.
— Oriel team