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AlphaRelay Operator on iPhone and iPad can record the visible flight-app screen with Apple’s Screen Recording feature, open an authorized Video Link, receive a DJI or Skydio controller livestream, or—on USB-C iPad—receive HDMI through a standard USB capture card. Your flight app or controller keeps aircraft control.

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Requirements

  • iPhone or iPad running iOS 26
  • AlphaRelay Operator installed through TestFlight
  • An Operator device license or one-installation pairing code
  • Screen Recording permission; microphone and speech-recognition permission only when voice events are needed
  • Internet for remote viewing, immediate upload to the agency account, online Live AI, Mission Viewer, live map updates, and footage upload. Saved events, footage, and valid location points can be sent later if internet is lost.
  • Permission to share precise location while Operator or another app is open, when the agency uses personnel mapping

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Install the app

  1. Install Apple’s TestFlight app from the App Store.
  2. Open the AlphaRelay Operator TestFlight invitation.

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Activate the device

  1. Open AlphaRelay Operator.
  2. Scan the organization license QR code, enter the 8-character pairing code, or enter the full ar-… license key.
  3. Select the operator when the organization roster contains more than one operator.
The license is stored on the device. Operator does not use the web-app email and password for device activation. Select who is using the device before starting or viewing a mission. That selection supplies mission attribution and, when Operational Map is enabled, the advisory identity shown for this device’s shared location.

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Choose the video source

From What do you want to do?, tap Start a Mission, then choose Controller Screen, Video Link, Controller Livestream, or, on supported iPads, HDMI Capture Card. The HDMI option is marked IPAD ONLY because iPhone cannot receive this USB video. Use Watch Live Mission from the landing screen to join a mission that is already active.
  1. Choose Video Link, then scan the source’s public video QR code or paste its complete HTTP/HTTPS URL.
  2. Complete mission setup and tap Start Video Link Mission.
  3. Wait for Backend relay prepared, then open Mission Viewer or Mission Overwatch and confirm video arrives.
Video Link requires internet. AlphaRelay’s online video service handles the picture and recording without recording the iPhone/iPad screen. AI checks follow the agency’s mission settings. If the device is responsible for those checks, keep Operator or its Mission Viewer open. See Use a Video Link.

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Start Controller Screen capture

  1. Open AlphaRelay Operator and choose a built-in or agency scenario, or No scenario.
  2. Confirm the operator, enter the mission name, optionally add up to eight Mission-specific AI targets, and choose whether Alert on people should include routine person alerts. Other enabled detections and mission-specific targets remain active when it is off.
  3. Tap Start Mission.
  4. In Apple’s Screen Recording picker, choose AlphaRelay Capture. Turn on the microphone only when the recording needs microphone audio, then start recording.
  5. Open the flight app. Keep the iOS screen-recording indicator active while AlphaRelay captures in the background.
When internet is available, Operator sends the captured screen to Mission Overwatch and Mission Viewer. The app calls this Live stream (WebRTC); you do not need to configure WebRTC. The active-mission screen shows capture, live video, AI, alerts, saved items waiting to upload, and mission time. If capture stops, return to Operator and tap Choose display and start capture.

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Start Controller Livestream

  1. Choose Controller Livestream, complete mission setup, and tap Set Up Controller Livestream.
  2. For DJI, open Custom RTMP and copy either the single RTMP URL or the separate Server URL and Stream key shown by AlphaRelay. For Skydio, open RTSP External Server and copy Server address, Port, and Stream name.
  3. Start livestreaming on the controller, then tap View live mission and confirm video arrives.
Internet is required on both devices. Stop livestreaming on the controller before closing the mission so AlphaRelay can finish the recording.

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Start HDMI Capture on iPad

  1. Connect the controller’s HDMI output to the USB-C iPad through a standard USB HDMI capture card.
  2. Choose HDMI Capture Card, complete setup, and tap Start HDMI Capture Mission.
  3. Grant camera permission and verify the full video picture before flight.
  4. After a disconnect, reconnect the card and tap Connect or retry HDMI input. Operator saves the earlier section and begins another.
This path is video-only. Voice events use the iPad microphone. AlphaRelay does not record audio carried through the HDMI capture card.

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Log and update the mission

  • Use scenario quick events or Log event with current frame. Operator attaches a fresh controller-screen image when capture can provide one.
  • Leave Voice events enabled to say Relay followed by the note. Operator saves the note with the latest captured picture.
  • Use Update AI targets to change mission-only watch items without restarting the mission. Changes made without internet stay saved on the device until AlphaRelay can upload them.
  • Use Ask Live AI to type or dictate a question about one current captured picture. Review the transcript before submitting, then verify the saved answer against the live video. Saved answers are shared with Mission Viewer and Mission Overwatch.
  • Live Alerts shows whether the mission can use the iPhone’s Dynamic Island or must use regular notifications. When Live Activities are available, alerts appear as a short line on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island, including while the flight app is sideways, then return to ALPHARELAY MONITORING. Urgent possible-weapon alerts are red; informational people alerts are yellow.
  • During Controller Screen capture, Operator uses Screen Sharing notifications when the Dynamic Island is unavailable. Allow time-sensitive notifications so alerts can appear over the flight app. For HDMI capture, the Operator app can show the alerts itself.
  • Alert presentations are review prompts, not confirmed findings. The mission timeline remains the durable review surface after the brief on-screen alert clears.
Live AI follows the agency’s settings for that mission. Supported devices may use online checks with a basic device backup, or agency-enabled on-device checks. If Hybrid cloud review is offered and selected, online review supplements the on-device checks. See Live AI alerts and confirm the active status before flight.

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Complete the mission

  1. Return to AlphaRelay Operator.
  2. Tap Sync now when pending items remain and connectivity is available.
  3. Tap Stop and complete mission.
  4. Keep Operator open while it finishes the selected recording and sends saved events and footage.
Operator records a digital fingerprint for each completed local video and uploads it through the normal evidence process. If Apple’s Screen Recording finishes the video but the handoff is interrupted, Operator can recover it the next time it processes saved items.

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Watch another active mission

From mission setup, tap Watch Live Mission. Choose an active mission in the same licensed organization to watch remote video, follow its live timeline and alerts, add quick or manual events, and use Ask AI on a current received picture. When Operational Map is enabled, joining starts mission-scoped location sharing for the selected person and the viewer’s Map panel shows pilot and officer positions. Mission Viewer cannot start the mission or control the aircraft; event entry becomes read-only after the mission closes. Use Share live to show or share a public QR code or link. Anyone with it can watch the active livestream without signing in. The public page shows video only. It does not show mission events or alerts and cannot be used to enter or review them. The link stops working when the mission ends.

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Share location without joining

Tap Share Location, choose a live mission, and confirm the selected person. AlphaRelay requests precise location while Operator or another app is open and can share for up to 12 hours; tap Stop Sharing sooner when the person leaves the operation. Mission starts also begin sharing automatically for the selected pilot when the feature and permissions are available.

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iOS boundaries

  • Operator captures the selected iOS display or app; it does not control the aircraft.
  • USB-C iPad supports a USB HDMI capture card; iPhone does not. On iPhone, use Video Link or the controller’s built-in livestream setting.
  • iPhone/iPad does not use Android’s automatic wired DJI Goggles detection or Android-only same-Wi-Fi relay.
  • On-device AI options depend on your agency and installed app. Confirm the active status and test the actual iPhone or iPad; do not assume its checks are identical to Android.
  • Dynamic Island, Live Activities, the timing of regular notifications, and alert placement in the sideways flight-app view vary by iPhone model and iOS settings. Test them on the actual flight device before operational use.
  • Apple’s Screen Recording must be tested on the physical iPhone or iPad; a computer simulation does not prove field capture.
  • Personnel-map positions are advisory and reflect the person selected on the licensed device. They do not independently verify who carries the device and do not show the aircraft’s location.
→ Controller Screen Capture on Android · View a live mission · Share personnel location · Device Live AI · Upload footage