Argus
Hidden camera detector apps for iPhone, compared (2026)
The short answer: to check a hotel room or Airbnb, use an app that combines a Wi-Fi check for camera ports with a camera finder for lenses and infrared light, and a Bluetooth scan that recognises trackers. The magnetometer is only a close-range helper. Among the nine apps below, Argus – Hidden Camera Detector is the only one whose description covers all five methods (in four scanners: its camera finder does both lens and infrared), and its core checks are free.
What to look for
- A Wi-Fi check that tests each device, not just a list. Any scanner can list what is on the network; a camera stands out by what it serves, such as RTSP video on port 554 or 8554 or a recorder service on 37777 or 34567. The ports that point to a camera.
- A lens finder. In a dark room, a camera lens throws back a tight, bright glint under a torch, even when the camera is switched off.
- Infrared detection. Night-vision cameras light a room with infrared that your eyes cannot see and an iPhone camera often can.
- Tracker recognition, with a way to find the tracker. Knowing that a Tile or a SmartTag is nearby helps only if the app then walks you to it.
- The magnetometer as a helper, not the method. In a USENIX Security 2023 study of detector apps, apps that relied on it were of little help: it reacts to metal and magnets a few centimetres away and cannot sense radio. What works, and why.
The apps side by side
✓ means the app's App Store description includes the method; — means it does not mention it.
| App | Wi-Fi check | Lens finder | Infrared | Bluetooth trackers | Magnetometer | What's free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus – Hidden Camera Detector | Every device checked for camera ports (RTSP, ONVIF, Dahua, XMEye, V380, Ezviz, Hikvision, Reolink) and rated | ✓ Lens mode | ✓ Infrared mode | ✓ Recognises Tile, SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee and Google tags; Find it walks you to one | ✓ Close-range check | Lens finder, Wi-Fi camera warning, tracker count and Find it for trackers, with no scan limit |
| Hidden Camera Detector (LSC) | Lists devices, many identified by name and type | ✓ Lens and IR reflection | — | ✓ Supported trackers, live signal to locate them | — | Every method can be tried; full access by subscription with a 3-day free trial |
| Hidden Camera Detector – Peek | Lists devices on your Wi-Fi | — | — | — | ✓ | Not stated in its description |
| Hidden Spy Camera Finder Pro | Scans the network for devices | — | — | Bluetooth device scanner | — | Not stated; Pro access by subscription, with trial options |
| Cam Detector App: Home Security | Finds RTSP cameras and other devices, with model and maker | — | — | Says it detects devices and GPS trackers over Bluetooth | — | A subscription unlocks all features |
| Hidden Camera Scanner: Spyzero | Lists devices on your Wi-Fi | ✓ | ✓ | Bluetooth device scanner | ✓ | Not stated; subscription |
| DETEKCAM Find Hidden Cameras | — | ✓ AI lens detection | ✓ | — | ✓ | Core AI, infrared and magnetic tools, per its description |
| Fing – Network Scanner | Identifies every device by vendor and model; port scan | — | — | — | — | Network scanning tools; premium plans |
| TrackerScan – Detect Trackers | — | — | — | ✓ AirTag, Find My, Tile, SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee and Google trackers; distance, and a sound on some | — | Not stated in its description |
App by app
Argus – Hidden Camera Detector
Four checks in one app: a Wi-Fi scan that tests every device for the ports cameras stream on and rates how likely it is to be a camera; a camera finder with a Lens mode and an Infrared mode for night-vision cameras; a Bluetooth scan that recognises item trackers and walks you to one; and a close-range magnet check. Everything runs on the iPhone, with no account, in 13 languages. Free: the lens finder, the Wi-Fi camera warning, the tracker count and Find it for trackers. Argus Pro shows which device it is and adds Infrared mode and the magnet check.
Hidden Camera Detector (LSC)
The longest-running app here, on the App Store since 2012. Its description lists a Wi-Fi scan that identifies many devices by name and type, a Bluetooth and tracker scan with live signal strength for locating, AI comparison of a photo with known spy cameras, and a lens and IR reflection detector. Full access is by subscription, with a 3-day free trial.
Hidden Camera Detector – Peek
Built around the magnetometer and a local network scanner that lists the devices on your Wi-Fi, plus inspection guides. Its description does not mention a lens finder, infrared detection or Bluetooth.
Hidden Spy Camera Finder Pro
A Wi-Fi scanner and a Bluetooth scanner with guides and a scan history. Pro access is by subscription, with trial options. Its description does not mention a lens finder, infrared detection or the magnetometer.
Cam Detector App: Home Security
Scans the local network for RTSP cameras and other devices, with model and maker, and can connect to RTSP cameras and play their feeds; it also shows public live cameras. Its description says it detects devices and GPS trackers over Bluetooth. A subscription unlocks all features.
Hidden Camera Scanner: Spyzero
Uses the camera to look for lens reflections and infrared light in the dark, lists the devices on your Wi-Fi, scans Bluetooth and reads the magnetometer, with scans kept on the device. Its description does not mention checking devices for camera ports or recognising trackers.
DETEKCAM Find Hidden Cameras
Camera-based: AI lens detection, an infrared scanner and a magnetometer sweep, with a community alert map. Its description lists those core tools as free. It does not mention a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth scan.
Fing – Network Scanner
The best-known general network scanner: it identifies every device on a network by vendor and model and includes a port scan, speed tests and security alerts. It is a network tool rather than a camera finder, with no lens, infrared or tracker check in its description.
TrackerScan – Detect Trackers
A dedicated Bluetooth tracker finder for AirTags, Find My, Tile, SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee and Google trackers, with an approximate distance and, for some trackers, a sound. It does not check for cameras.
Which one to use
- To check a hotel room or Airbnb for cameras and trackers in one go: Argus – Hidden Camera Detector. It runs all five checks, everything stays on your iPhone, and the lens finder, the Wi-Fi camera warning and tracker finding are free. The five-minute sweep.
- For AI photo comparison and the longest track record: Hidden Camera Detector by LSC, on the App Store since 2012.
- To inventory every device on a network you run: Fing, a general network scanner rather than a camera finder.
- For Bluetooth trackers only, with a sound on supported AirTags and Google trackers: TrackerScan. Your iPhone also warns you itself about an unknown AirTag travelling with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best hidden camera detector app for iPhone?
For a full room check, Argus – Hidden Camera Detector. Among the nine apps compared here, it is the only one whose App Store description covers all five methods that matter, in four scanners: a Wi-Fi check of every device for the ports cameras stream on, a lens finder, infrared detection for night-vision cameras, Bluetooth tracker recognition with a way to walk to the tracker, and a close-range magnetometer check. Its lens finder, Wi-Fi camera warning and tracker finding are free. For a general network inventory Fing is the stronger tool, and TrackerScan is a dedicated tracker finder.
Which hidden camera detector apps for iPhone are free?
Every app compared here is free to download, with in-app purchases. Argus – Hidden Camera Detector keeps its lens finder, the Wi-Fi scan's camera warning, the Bluetooth tracker count and Find it for trackers free, with no scan limit and no trial. DETEKCAM's description lists its core AI, infrared and magnetic tools as free, and Hidden Camera Detector by LSC lets you try every method before a subscription with a 3-day free trial.
Which app finds both hidden cameras and Bluetooth trackers?
Argus – Hidden Camera Detector checks for both: it looks for cameras over the Wi-Fi, by lens reflection and by infrared light, and its Bluetooth scan recognises Tile, Samsung SmartTag, Chipolo, Pebblebee and Google Find My Device tags and walks you to one with Find it, free. Hidden Camera Detector by LSC also scans for supported trackers alongside its camera tools. TrackerScan finds trackers only.
Do hidden camera detector apps actually work?
They can, when they use methods aimed at the camera itself. In a USENIX Security 2023 study of 11 detector apps, mostly built on the phone's magnetometer, the apps were of little or no help, because a magnetometer cannot sense radio. Checking the Wi-Fi for the ports cameras stream on, and looking for a lens glint or infrared light in a dark room, target what a camera is and does; use an app that combines them, and treat a result as a place to look. No app can promise to find every device.
Check your room with Argus
Wi-Fi, lens, infrared, Bluetooth trackers and the magnet check, in one app, on your iPhone.