FAQ (mobile)

FAQ

Q: Is Capture One mobile an add-on or a standalone application? 
A: Capture One mobile is a standalone app, but can also be a great companion to Capture One Pro. 

Q: Where do I purchase Capture One mobile? 
A: You can find our mobile app in the Apple Store, where prices are shown in your local currency. One subscription covers both iPhone and iPad. 

Q: What is the difference between the mobile app and Capture One Pro?
A: Capture One mobile offers a streamlined set of features designed for fast, on-the-go workflows, while Capture One Pro provides the full professional toolset available on desktop.

While each platform serves different needs — mobility and simplicity on mobile, full control and depth on desktop — they’re built to complement each other. Using them together provides a seamless workflow: Capture on mobile, refine and finalize in Pro, and move effortlessly between devices.

Q: Will the mobile app be part of the All in One bundle? 
A: Absolutely! The app is now included in the All in One bundle.

Q: Do I need to have a subscription for both the iPad and the iPhone app? 
A: No. They’re one app, so you get both iPad and iPhone with one subscription.

Q: What are the mobile system requirements? 
A: You’ll need to be on iOS/iPadOS 15 or above. iPhone X, iPad Pro third gen, iPad eighth gen, iPad mini sixth gen, iPad Air fourth gen or above is recommended.

Q: Can you shoot tethered with Capture One mobile? 
A: Yes, both with a cable and wirelessly. 

Q: Why can’t I use a Lightning to USB-C adapter? 
A: Due to hardware limitations, support is limited to official USB-A Apple adapters.

Q: Will my connection work if I use a non-Apple adapter? 
A: We recommend using the Apple-certified Camera Adapter for the best connection and performance. Some non-Apple On-The-Go (OTG) adapters might work, but we cannot guarantee that they will function properly.

Q: What tethering cable should I use? 
A: We recommend using a high-quality USB 3.0 cable no longer than 3 meters in length for the best performance and stability.

Q: Is my camera supported? 
A: To see if your camera is supported, visit Supported cameras, lenses and image files (mobile)

Q: What tools and features are in the mobile app? 
A: To see the features, please visit our About article for iPhone and iPad. At launch, there are some differences between the iPhone and the iPad versions, but we plan to have the same feature list as soon as possible.

Q: Can I use Styles on the mobile app? 
A: Definitely! We will have some built-in Styles available to get you started. If you use Capture One Pro or Capture One for iPad or iPhone, you can import your own Styles to the mobile and use them there.

Q: What about stacking Styles – is this planned? 
A: At the moment, this isn’t available for the iPhone but available for the iPad. Please do leave a comment on captureone.co/improve if it’s something you wish to see in the future.

Q: Are Panorama and HDR supported in Capture One mobile?
A: No, Panorama and HDR merging are not currently supported in Capture One mobile (iPad or iPhone). To create Panorama or HDR images, you need to use the desktop version of Capture One.

Q: How do I import my own Styles to the mobile app? 
A: You can simply Airdrop your existing Styles to your iPhone or iPad, then tap on them to open them directly in Capture One. You can also use any cloud service e.g., Dropbox or Google Drive to transfer them to yourself or share them via email. See our full guide on how to import Styles to the app here: Editing Images.

Q: If I have Capture One Pro, is it free for me? 
A: No. Capture One mobile is a standalone application, sold separately from Capture One Pro. Be sure to check our All In One bundle!

Q: Is there a free trial? 
A: Yes, you will be able to try out Capture One mobile with a 7-day free trial. 

Q: Are all features included when purchasing the app? 
A: The subscription is an in-app purchase that gives access to all features, including an unlimited use of the Cloud Transfer feature. 

Q: Are there in-app payments for new features? 
A: We do not plan to lock features behind in-app purchases. However, future evolutions of cloud services may affect the business model – this is to make sure we align the pricing with the value we provide to our customers. 

Q: Will Capture One Live be available for Capture One mobile? 
A: Capture One Live for mobile was introduced in version 1.7 (April 2023).

Q: Is Capture One Live free on mobile? 
A: No, Capture One Live Unlimited is only available for free for a limited time.

Q: With only one subscription, can I use the app on another iPhone or iPad, like on desktop? 
A: You can install the app on multiple devices using the same Apple ID you used when buying the app.

Q: Is wireless tethering supported on the mobile app? 
A: Yes. To check if your camera is supported, please visit Supported cameras, lenses and image files (mobile).

Q: Will iPhone app updates be synced with updates for iPad, or is it a standalone app? 
A: Future updates will apply to both the iPad and iPhone. There might be some differences in how features are shown on screen due to the different screen sizes. 

Q: Can I sync my photos and edits between Capture One Pro and Capture One mobile? (Is two-way sync possible?)
A: Direct two-way cloud sync between Capture One Pro and Capture One mobile is not available yet. Currently, Cloud Transfer still works one way — from mobile to desktop.

However, you can now work seamlessly across devices using sessions, catalogs, and external storage. Capture One mobile supports working directly from external drives, and you can move sessions or catalogs between your iPad, iPhone, and desktop simply by storing them on compatible external media. This means you can capture and edit on mobile, then continue on desktop—or start on desktop and pick up on mobile—by physically moving the same session or catalog between devices.

This approach already enables a flexible cross-device workflow, and we will continue improving cloud capabilities over time. See more here: Using external storage with Capture One mobile

Q: If I import images to mobile and then want to work on them on my desktop, how do I do that?
A: You have two ways to move your work from mobile to desktop:

1. Importing from Cloud Transfer:
For each album you create in the mobile app, you can choose “Add to the cloud.” Once selected, your adjusted images begin uploading. When the upload is complete, the “Import from cloud” option in Capture One Pro will appear, allowing you to download and import the images to your desktop just like a regular import. We have a support article covering this workflow in detail — please check here: How to use Cloud Transfer

2. Using sessions, catalogs, or external drives:
Capture One mobile now supports sessions, catalogs, and working directly from external storage. This means you can keep your session or catalog on a compatible external drive, work on it in Capture One mobile, and then simply connect the same drive to your desktop to continue editing — no cloud transfer required. This approach lets you move entire projects between devices while maintaining all edits and structure. See more here: Session and Catalog documents in Capture One mobile & Using external storage with Capture One mobile

Both methods are fully supported, so you can choose the workflow that best fits your setup. 

Q: Does this feature use iCloud storage or are the images stored on a Capture One Server and then transferred? Or are the images maintained on the mobile and transferred off the mobile? Will I be maintaining the images on both mobile and desktop and when or how do I remove the images from the Cloud and mobile after transferring to desktop? 
A: The cloud transfer feature uses a dedicated Capture One cloud server. Photos that you have on your mobile device are copied to the server when you upload them, and then another copy is made onto your computer when you download them from the cloud (therefore we ask you to choose a destination folder because the raw files need to be stored on your computer).

Once you have transferred your photos, you can go back to your mobile device and in the three-dot menu for an album you will find an option to “remove from cloud”. This will free up space for your next uploads. If you also want to remove the photos from the mobile, you can delete them by selecting them and pressing the delete button. They will be moved to the trash if you want to restore them; if you remove them from the trash too, they will be completely gone from your mobile device. 

Q: Which version of Capture One Pro do I need to use the cloud file transfer? 
A: You will need to use the most recent version at the time of launch of Capture One mobile, which is going to be a minor update to Capture One Pro 22. You will not be able to import photos from the mobile into Capture One Pro with older versions. Then, as for all other cloud services we offer, you will need to keep both the mobile app and the desktop software relatively up to date if you want these features to be supported. 

Q: What happens when a newer version of Capture One Pro is released? 
A: Similar to Capture One Live, it is suggested to update to the latest version of Capture One Pro so that any service relying on the cloud will keep working. Cloud services are officially supported for the two latest releases of Capture One Pro and Capture One mobile. If your software or app is older than 2 minor releases, we cannot guarantee it will work as intended. 

End of Life (ie. the time at which the cloud service stops working all together) will be 3 months after a new major version is released or when a breaking change is introduced. 

Q: Is Cloud synchronization possible? 
A: Synchronization between devices over the cloud is not (yet) a feature of the Capture One ecosystem – instead, we have created a file transfer feature via the cloud. The process looks like this: upload your RAW images with their adjustments from your mobile device to the cloud and then import those images from the cloud into Capture One Pro for desktop when you are home. 

Q: Will you be able to work with an External hard drive? 
A: Capture One mobile now can work with Sessions or Catalogs. You can use those either directly from the iPad/iPhone storage or work off of an external drive. These can also be moved to your desktop and be worked on from there. You can also move your desktop Catalogs and Sessions to work off of an iPad/iPhone. See here for more details: Session and Catalog documents in Capture One mobile

Q: How does file storage look like? 
A: Images can be either stored in Sessions or Catalogs in your internal storage or worked on from the documents on the external drive. For Sessions and Catalogs, a separate folder is created which you can placed anywhere you want. All the images and adjustments will be stored in that folder. 

Q: Will it be possible to calibrate the mobile screen within Capture One? 
A: Currently there are no plans for screen calibration in the app, but if this is something that the community wants, we will investigate it. 

Q: Will file support be the same as on the desktop app? 
A: A full list of supported RAW file types can be found here: Supported cameras, lenses and image files.

Q: Will it be possible to do adjustments or local adjustments, or just filters? 
A: You will be able to edit by applying styles or by manually changing values on a set of tools. Please see the full list in these articles: About Capture One for iPhone and About Capture One for iPad.

Masks & layers are available starting from version 2.6.0.

Q: How much RAM will the app use? 
A: It will depend on the specific mobile model and the tasks executed; we cannot give a precise answer, but it will make for a decent experience in the app, without compromising the rest of your iPad or iPhone. 

Q: Magic Trackpad support? 
A: We have not specifically tested the magic trackpad, but we can confirm that the trackpad of the iPad Pro magic keyboard is supported. 

Q: Can you use the app when turned both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait)? 
A: For iPad, yes. 

Q: How does it compare to Lightroom mobile app? 
A: You get what separates Capture One from other software: Performance, Workflow efficiency, and image quality. 

Performance: make the most of your iPad and iPhone and get blazing fast speed with full touch and gesture functionality, combined with native support for Metal – allowing you to interact with your images like never before.

Workflow Efficiency: import directly to your mobile device from camera, card or files stored locally with the ability to cull and organize images on the go, ensuring minimal time wasted on set and between shoots. 

Whether you are batch-applying Styles to hundreds of captures or editing a single image, Capture One mobile makes it possible to seamlessly transition between on-the-go editing and more extensive adjustments on desktop. 

Send your images to desktop at a tap and continue working with the same high level of detail and precision in Capture One Pro for ultimate workflow efficiency. 

Image Quality: Capture One Pro’s renowned image quality and color rendering comes in a more portable package, letting you bring the full power of our RAW converter anywhere you go. We have made no compromises on the mobile app, so you get the full capabilities of Capture One’s image core. 

Q: Are you working on an app for Android or surface tablets? 
A: There are no current plans for Android systems. 

Q: Do I log in with the same account? 
A: Yes, you log in with the same account that you use for Capture One Pro on desktop.  This is to ensure cloud functionality

Q: What if I don’t have a Capture One Account – can I create one on the iPad or iPhone app? 
A: Yes, you can create an account directly from within the app. 

Q: I bought a Style Pack on my Capture One account – can I use that in the mobile app? 
A: Yes. See how to import Styles and Styles Packs to your mobile device here: How to import and use Styles.

Q: How do I cancel my subscription? 
A: Your mobile subscription is managed by Apple. Please visit your Apple account to manage your subscription preferences.

Q: Will I lose my images if I remove Capture One from my mobile device? 
A: Yes, when you remove the app from your mobile device, all your images and adjustments will be erased, so you need to copy the entire catalog, and then you can paste it back using the Files app.