How to use a teleprompter while recording video (phone or computer)
Updated October 27, 2026 · Anthony Delmotte
Short answer. On a computer, open a browser teleprompter in a narrow window under the webcam and record with QuickTime, the Camera app or OBS. On a phone, you need an app that shows the script while it films, like SmoothCue on iPhone: a browser can’t record and prompt at once on a phone.
On a computer
The prompter and the recorder are two separate windows, and that works well:
- Open the online teleprompter, paste the script and size the window narrow.
- Place it right under the webcam.
- Start recording in QuickTime Player (Mac), the Camera app (Windows) or OBS.
- Press Start on the prompter and read. Space pauses when you need a breath.
On a phone
On a phone, only one app can use the camera, and a web page can’t sit on top of the camera app. So you need a teleprompter app that records for you, with the text right under the front camera. SmoothCue does this on iPhone: the text follows your voice and the take is saved to Photos with the sound in sync.
Fixed speed or voice follow?
A fixed speed suits slow, even reading. For anything with pauses, jokes or emphasis, a prompter that follows your voice waits for you instead of running ahead.
Look natural
Keep lines short, put the text as close to the lens as you can and do two takes. Our guide on reading a script without looking like it has the rest.