Question 1

Can anyone else see my footage?

Accepted Answer

No, and not as a policy — as a matter of there being no path. Video moves phone to viewer under DTLS-SRTP. There is no media server. If a TURN relay is needed because both ends sit behind strict NAT, it forwards encrypted packets it cannot decrypt, and the app tells you when that happens.

Question 2

Why does Cupola use Firebase?

Accepted Answer

Only to carry the connection handshake. Two devices behind different routers cannot find each other unaided, so they leave connection details in a shared database for a few seconds. It never receives a video frame, and you can point Cupola at your own Firebase project in Settings.

Question 3

How long can it run?

Accepted Answer

Days, with the phone plugged in, Stay Awake enabled in developer options, and battery optimisation off for the browser. Cupola holds a screen wake lock and reclaims it when the tab returns to the foreground.

Question 4

Does Cupola work on iPhone?

Accepted Answer

As a viewer, yes — any modern browser can watch. As the camera, no: iOS Safari will not give a web app a usable background camera, so the phone acting as the camera has to be Android running Chrome.

Question 5

Is there a subscription?

Accepted Answer

No. The free tier is a complete one-camera setup with no time limit. Pro is a one-time $29 key.