How to use a teleprompter on iPhone
A teleprompter puts your script on a screen right next to the lens, so you can look at the camera and still know what to say. On an iPhone one device does both jobs: it records you with the camera while the script scrolls on the screen. This guide walks through the setup step by step, with the settings that matter and the mistakes beginners make most often.
What you need
You do not need extra gear to start. You need an iPhone or iPad, a way to keep it steady and a script.
- A stable support. A small tripod or phone stand is best. A stack of books works if the phone ends up at about eye level.
- Light from the front. A window beside the camera is enough. Avoid a bright window behind you, because the camera will expose for the window and leave your face dark.
- A quiet room. The built-in microphone is fine for speech when the room does not echo. Soft furniture and curtains help.
- A script. Paste one in, import a text file or write it in the app.
If you wear glasses, check for reflections of the screen before you record. Tilting the phone a little or moving the light usually fixes it.
Step 1: Write the script for the ear
Text that reads well on paper sounds stiff when you say it. Write the way you talk: short sentences, contractions, plain words and one idea per sentence. Read the draft aloud once. Wherever you stumble, rewrite the sentence, because you will stumble there on camera too.
Keep a length in mind. Most people speak at roughly 130 to 160 words per minute, so a one-minute video is about 140 words. If you are staring at a blank page, start from a template. Telepromptia includes starting points such as a short hook, a YouTube intro, a product review and a podcast intro, and it shows the reading time of your script before you record.
Step 2: Set size, speed and colours
Set the text for the distance where the phone will stand, not the distance where you hold it while setting up.
- Size. Large enough to read without leaning in. Leaning toward the screen is the quickest way to look like you are reading.
- Speed. Start slower than feels right. It is easy to speed up and hard to catch a script that runs away from you. In Telepromptia you can also pick a target length of 30, 60 or 90 seconds, and the app sets the scroll speed so the script lasts that long.
- Colours. Keep the contrast high. Light text on a dark background is easy on the eyes in a dim room.
- Mirror. Leave it off when you read straight from the phone. Mirroring is meant for glass teleprompter rigs where the text is reflected.
- Highlight. Turn on sentence highlight, so after a glance away you can find your place at once.
Step 3: Frame the shot
Place the phone at eye level or a little above, about an arm's length away or slightly farther. Use the front camera so the screen faces you. Many iPhones have a sharper rear camera, but then the screen points away from you and you cannot read it, so the front camera is the practical choice for reading to camera.
Leave a little space above your head, centre yourself in the frame and check that the light on your face is even. Telepromptia can give quiet hints about centring, headroom and light while you set up. They are optional, they run on the device and nothing is stored.
Keep the reading area close to the camera. The farther the text sits from the lens, the more visible your eye movement becomes. Telepromptia's EyeLock layout puts a few words at a time on a dark panel right under the front camera, and you choose how many lines show.
Step 4: Rehearse once
Do a dry run without recording. Let the script scroll, speak at your normal pace and watch for three things: places where you run out of breath, words you trip on and sections where the speed feels wrong. Change the text or the speed, then run it once more. Two rehearsals usually save more time than five takes.
Step 5: Record, and keep going
Start the countdown, take a breath and begin. If you make a mistake, stop for a second, say the sentence again from its start and carry on. You can cut the bad part later and you keep the energy of the take. In Telepromptia the script is a separate layer on the screen and is never part of the video. The recording contains only the camera and the microphone.
If a take goes badly, stop and record a fresh short one. On the free plan a recording session lasts up to three minutes. For longer videos, record in sections, as described in the guide to teleprompters for YouTube videos.
Fixing common problems
- The text moves too fast. Lower the speed or choose a longer target length.
- You look like you are reading. Make the text smaller and narrower, move the phone a little farther away and read our guide on reading a script to camera naturally.
- You lose your place. Use sentence highlight, or try voice-following scroll, which is explained in the guide to voice-activated teleprompters.
- You made one mistake in an otherwise good take. Re-record only that sentence, as shown in the guide on fixing a mistake without re-recording everything.
Where Telepromptia fits
Telepromptia is a teleprompter and video recorder for iPhone and iPad that works offline. There is no account, no watermark and no cloud: scripts and videos stay on your device. The free plan covers three saved scripts and recordings of up to three minutes. See all features or the pricing page for what Pro adds.