SpyAlert Release Notes v2026.11.01

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SpyAlert Release Notes v2026.11.01

Download SpyAlert on the App Store

This is our biggest update since v2025.12.21. SpyAlert now finds more of the devices on your network, checks what each one actually is before it calls it a camera, and tells you how confident it is. This release also brings a complete redesign, a new Account screen, and stronger privacy: SpyAlert needs just one permission, and device inspection happens entirely on your iPhone.

Highlights

  • Evidence, not guesses. Every device is now classified as a Confirmed, Likely, or Possible Camera, an Unknown Device, or an Other Device, with a confidence score and the evidence behind it.
  • Finds more devices. New SSDP/UPnP discovery, active discovery across your local network, support for both ONVIF discovery versions, and much richer Bonjour browsing, over IPv4 and IPv6.
  • One device, one row. What SpyAlert learns about a device from every discovery method is merged into a single record.
  • A whole new look, with a live radar, redesigned device details, and a new checkout screen.
  • One permission. SpyAlert now asks only for Local Network access.
  • A new Account screen for your sign-in, your plan, Restore Purchase, and Sign Out.

Smarter Detection

Classifications you can trust

  • Results are grouped as Confirmed Camera, Likely Camera, Possible Camera, Unknown Device, or Other Device.
  • Each result shows a confidence percentage and the evidence behind it, with each piece of evidence rated by strength.
  • Only confirmed and likely cameras count as camera evidence. An open streaming port on its own is a possible camera, and a device SpyAlert knows nothing else about is unknown.

Verifying cameras, not just spotting open ports

  • RTSP verification. SpyAlert now talks to RTSP streaming services instead of assuming an open port means a camera. A device is marked Confirmed only when its stream actually contains video. If a stream is password-protected, SpyAlert still records that a real streaming service is there.
  • Web fingerprinting. SpyAlert checks device web pages, headers, and HTTPS certificates over HTTP and HTTPS and matches them against known camera signatures.
  • Device information. Where ONVIF cameras and UPnP devices publish their manufacturer, model, and name without a login, SpyAlert reads and shows it.

Finding more devices

  • Active local discovery. SpyAlert now reaches out across your local network to find devices that haven't announced themselves, on every active network connection. Scans of very large networks are capped so they still finish.
  • Manufacturer lookup. Hardware (MAC) addresses are matched to their manufacturers using a registry built into the app, so the lookup works offline.
  • ONVIF. Support for both discovery versions used by ONVIF cameras, over IPv4 and IPv6, capturing device name, hardware, and location.
  • SSDP/UPnP. A new discovery method. Devices that identify themselves as security cameras are flagged as likely cameras.
  • Bonjour. SpyAlert browses known camera services right away, resolves both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, reads service details, and removes services that go away.

One record per device

  • Everything SpyAlert learns about a device (address, hardware address, services, discovery replies) is merged into a single entry, even when different discovery methods find it separately.
  • Device details now show the IP addresses, MAC address, manufacturer, host name, when the device was first seen, and which discovery methods found it.

Faster, more focused port scans

  • Opening a device used to start a scan of more than 12,000 ports. SpyAlert now checks a focused set of common camera, recorder, web, and admin ports, which finishes much faster.
  • Need more? Tap Run Extended Scan for wider coverage.
  • Port scans ease off in Low Power Mode, when your iPhone is warm, or on constrained or metered networks, and they stop as soon as you leave the device screen.

Clearer results

  • SpyAlert now reports whether it found camera evidence rather than declaring a room camera-free, and it explains that a network scan can miss cameras that are powered off, isolated, or cloud-only.
  • If SpyAlert can't see your whole network (for example, on guest Wi-Fi that keeps devices apart), the scan is marked incomplete with a warning instead of an all-clear.

A New Look

  • New design: a dark interface in the cobalt and cyan of the SpyAlert icon, used on every screen.
  • Live radar: devices appear as blips on a sweeping radar as they're found. The sweep stops when Reduce Motion is on.
  • Scan summary: animated stat tiles, a Scan Again button, and a haptic when the scan finishes.
  • Device list: color-coded badges and a confidence meter on each row, with the address, manufacturer, or MAC address shown under the name.
  • Device details: a confidence ring with a plain-language explanation, an Identity section, evidence with strength bars, services with icons, open ports (with streaming ports highlighted), and a card for each web endpoint showing its status, notable headers, and certificate trust.
  • Smooth scrolling with hundreds of devices on the network. List updates are batched and wait until you stop scrolling.
  • Large text support: layouts adapt to larger text sizes, with full VoiceOver labels.

Accounts & Purchases

  • New Account screen. Tap the person button on the start screen, or choose Account from the scanner's menu. It shows whether you're signed in, your plan (Free or SpyAlert Unlocked), Unlock, Restore Purchase, Sign Out, the app version, and Contact Support.
  • Verified sign-in. Sign in with Apple is now verified by SpyAlert's servers, and your session is stored securely in the Keychain.
  • Confirmed purchases. After checkout, SpyAlert confirms your purchase with the server before unlocking. You'll see "Confirming Purchase" and then "SpyAlert Unlocked". If confirmation takes longer, a Check Again option appears, and SpyAlert checks again the next time it opens.
  • A clearer checkout: the price card shows your savings and what's included. The button waits until the price has loaded, and you can try again if it doesn't load.
  • Offline messages: sign-in and Restore Purchase tell you when you aren't connected to the internet.
Signed in on an earlier version? Open Account and tap Verify with Apple once. Your unlock stays in place, and verifying keeps your purchase linked to your Apple Account.

Privacy

  • Just one permission. SpyAlert now asks only for Local Network access. It no longer requests camera or HomeKit access, and it no longer lists your iPhone's own cameras.
  • Analysis stays on your iPhone. Device classification now runs entirely on your device. SpyAlert no longer sends device information to a server for analysis.
  • Inspection stays local. When SpyAlert inspects a device's web page, it stays on your local network. It never follows a redirect off the network, sends no cookies or credentials, limits how much it reads, and keeps only what it needs to identify the device.

Fixes & Stability

  • Fixed a crash in Bonjour discovery.
  • Fixed a crash when loading a device's open ports.
  • Fixed the permission screen's Continue button sometimes not appearing.
  • Starting, stopping, and restarting scans is now reliable. Stopping a scan cancels all of its work, results from an earlier scan can't show up in a new one, and a scan finishes only once every check is done.
  • Fixed the scan restarting twice after unlocking.

SpyAlert requires iOS 18 or later. Thanks for using SpyAlert. If you have questions or feedback, tap Contact Support on the Account screen.