While there are many dashcam apps in Google Play marketplace, some are definitely more reliable in recording behind the wheel. The following top-quality apps are our recommendations for 2021. They leave nothing behind in capturing the best video moments while you’re driving.
Selection Criteria for Best Dashboard Apps
To round off this list, we took a look at only those apps that have 100,000 to 1 million downloads in Play Store. Also, each is rated between 4.2 and 4.5. That really narrowed it down! That said, we didn’t just take those high ratings for granted but also checked the features that these apps claim to have. All individual apps are free to use and have something unique to offer the drivers. The best thing we liked of these apps is that none of them caused the Android phone to overheat despite prolonged video recording. Also, there were a few to no ad distractions.
1. Drive Recorder
As one reviewer noted in the comments, Drive Recorder is a highly-rated app that does “everything the paid apps do.” This is definitely true, as for 90 minutes straight you can record your footage without interruptions. For longer recordings than that, it supports continuous loop recording. This app is characterized by its simplicity and offers only the needed features, which can all be accessed from “Settings.” What I really liked was a lock screen in the landscape feature that stabilizes the camera and gives a consistent wide field of view. The advertisements can be disabled for free from within the app. You can record the videos in high, medium or low quality and choose maximum storage space. A major disadvantage of Drive Recorder is that you cannot store the data on an SD card.
2. AutoBoy Dash Cam – Blackbox
Using “Blackbox” in the name can be very reassuring for any dashcam tool. What you will like about AutoBoy Dash Cam – Blackbox is its support for both internal and external memory (unlike the previous app.) With the flick of a finger, you can use the camera’s zoom, flash, and focus features to focus on details. You can simultaneously take photos and videos at the same time. Compared to Drive Recorder, AutoBoy offers more details in terms of storing the routes. You can directly upload the videos to YouTube. The app has some advanced features such as smart crash sensors (untested) and LED background lights which suggests that the recording is happening in the background. Overall, AutoBoy is a really decent app for dashcam recording. If you don’t want to see ads, you can upgrade to AutoBoy Pro for around $3.
3. AutoGuard Dashcam – BlackBox
Another “Blackbox” app, AutoGuard Dashcam – Blackbox, does much more than just video recording. It also captures and traces your path on 3D Google maps and allows multitasking with video recording for over one hour. It has a “smart impact sensor” that can distinguish between an actual collision and a few bumps in the road. The app is acutely finetuned with a Google account and supports integration with YouTube, but only for a Pro account. To stabilize the camera, you only need to turn the video rotation off. The app uses AI intelligence (from Google) to capture important moments automatically. The video quality is excellent, although the night vision could use some improvement. However, the app wins our attention for its heightened “sensitivity” to important situations. The maximum video storage size is a whopping 96 GB, which means you don’t have to make backups that frequently.
4. DailyRoads Voyager
In terms of features and performance, DailyRoads Voyager rates highly. The app is synced with G-force sensors which prevents any accidental collisions or bumps to distort the performance. The app can automatically start or shut down with your car’s door knob. It detects the street addresses of any videos/photos on your route and geo-tags everything. One of the best features of this app is a built-in heat protection which is very handy in the summer. There are many features and formatting options: videos are stabilized, work with a viewfinder, and all files can be uploaded to the cloud or SD card. The app works nicely in the free version, but you can upgrade to the pro version to not see ads. None of the ads are intrusive as is required in driving conditions. A lot of other apps are available for dashcam, but the ones listed here are ones you won’t go wrong with. And while you are driving, do make use of this Google Maps feature to alert you when you are driving in the wrong direction.
