Fremont, California, April 18, 2026, 11:32 PDT
- Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 now lets users monitor and control the camera from their Apple Watch.
- The update brings iPhones into closer integration with ATEM Mini switchers and Blackmagic’s ProDock.
- The Android 3.3 update? That one rolls out live streaming for Facebook, Instagram, Castr, BoxCast, and Bilibili.
Blackmagic Design rolled out Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3, introducing a new Apple Watch app that puts iPhone camera controls right on your wrist. With the update, mobile filmmakers get tools to trigger recording, keep an eye on framing and audio levels, and tweak settings—even when their iPhone is stuck somewhere hard to reach.
This shift is notable as the iPhone finds a growing role in professional and semi-pro video setups, moving beyond casual content. Blackmagic noted the free update brings ATEM camera control, so an iPhone now doubles as a live studio camera when connected to the Blackmagic Camera ProDock and ATEM Mini switcher.
That leaves Blackmagic squaring off more directly with Apple’s Final Cut Camera—Apple’s tool already lets users adjust shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus by hand. Longtime players like Filmic Pro, which has built its brand on offering granular manual controls for smartphone video, are also in the mix.
Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty says the aim is for users to “mount an iPhone anywhere” but keep full control right from their wrist. With expanded ATEM and Focus Demand compatibility, users get studio camera-style operation for the iPhone, working focus and zoom straight from tripod handles. Business Wire
Blackmagic says the Apple Watch app lets users monitor framing, check audio levels, and tweak exposure, focus, LUTs, lens selection, and zoom. LUTs—look-up tables—act as color presets, handy for previewing or applying a specific image style on the fly.
The iOS update brings several new features: full-screen portrait-mode HDMI output, front-camera portrait and landscape support on iPhone 17—no rotation needed. Users on iOS 26.1 and up will see ProRes RAW stabilization. Apple’s ProRes RAW format preserves more sensor data for editing. The release also addresses overall performance and stability issues.
PetaPixel pointed out that using the watch as a controller comes in handy, especially if the iPhone’s locked onto a rig, gimbal, or set up overhead—basically, any spot where tapping the phone might nudge the frame. But the review also mentioned that Blackmagic hasn’t shared any photos showing the Apple Watch feature actually being used.
Blackmagic has pushed out Blackmagic Camera 3.3 for Android, bringing remote pre-record control to Blackmagic Design cameras along with new live streaming options for Facebook, Instagram, Castr, BoxCast and Bilibili, according to Newsshooter and the Google Play listing. Other updates: users now get full-screen portrait HDMI output, video playback scrubbing is quicker, and a distortion bug affecting some images gets addressed.
There’s a catch. The latest iOS studio camera tools need extra Blackmagic hardware—Camera ProDock, ATEM Mini—so the upgrade mostly benefits folks already plugged into that setup. Android’s version lands with its own feature set, but Apple Watch remote? That’s missing.
Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 is now up for free download on the Apple App Store. The company plans to show off the latest update at NAB 2026, booth N2502. According to the App Store, Blackmagic Camera gives iPhone and iPad users access to digital-film camera features, manual controls, and Blackmagic Cloud integration.
