Frequently Asked Questions

New to Apollo Streams? Start with a quick video, then browse the questions below.

How Apollo Streams works

A quick tutorial on filming and streaming your game.

How to set up your equipment

Walk through the tripod and gear setup step by step.

The Basics

What is Apollo Streams?

Apollo Streams films your games automatically with an iPhone, streams them live, and creates instant highlights. It is built for parents, teams, schools, and leagues who want great footage without hiring a camera crew.

There are two apps. The Capture app films and produces the broadcast. The free Network app is where fans watch.

What is BallHawk?

BallHawk is our AI tracking gimbal. Snap your iPhone in and it follows the action on its own, so no one has to stand behind the camera. Built-in cooling keeps your phone from overheating in the sun, and a weather shield keeps it filming in the rain.

BallHawk is in development now. Join the early access list to be notified the moment it launches.

Which sports does BallHawk work for?

More than you might expect. BallHawk tracks in two ways. It can follow the play automatically for football, basketball, and baseball, with more sports being added. And it can follow any single person you select, in any setting, sports or not. So you can film your athlete hands-free even in a sport we have not added play tracking for yet.

You also get live scoreboards for 16 sports plus a generic scoreboard for anything else. And for any activity, you can position the gimbal and control it yourself, or use it as a handheld stabilizer. There is almost no filming situation it can't handle one way or another.

Can I just film my own kid?

Yes. Pick your player and BallHawk follows them automatically for the whole game, hands-free. You stay in the stands and watch while it films. This works in any sport, even ones we have not added full play tracking for yet.

How do I capture highlights?

Most systems make you sit down after the game and rewatch the whole thing just to find one good play. Apollo Streams does it live. The moment something great happens, tap the capture button and that play is saved right then. The button sits in the Capture app on your iPhone and iPad, or on your BallHawk controller.

You set how much to capture ahead of time, anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds. Tap once and it grabs that window and stores it automatically.

Running more than one camera? A single tap captures the highlight on every camera running the Capture app, so you get the same moment from multiple angles at once. No scrubbing through footage, no hunting for the moment later. It is already waiting for you.

Can I show a live scoreboard and game clock?

Yes. Your broadcast can show a live scoreboard with the score, the period, and a running game clock, all updating as the game goes. You have two ways to run it.

Run it yourself. Control the clock and score from your BallHawk controller, where everything shows on the built-in LCD, or straight from the Capture app on your iPhone or iPad. You can even hand the scoreboard off to someone else and let them run it from their own iPhone while you focus on filming.

Or let the AI handle it. Point a second camera at the scoreboard at the field and mark which areas are the clock, the home score, the away score, and the period. The AI reads those numbers and fills in your scoreboard for you, keeping it in sync without anyone touching it.

Can I add my own branding and sponsors?

Yes. You can swap our branding for your own and put your sponsors' logos right on the scoreboard. Upload your logos, rotate them through the game, and play sponsor commercials with a tap during timeouts and halftime.

Every logo view and commercial play gets tracked, so you can show sponsors real numbers. A few local sponsors can cover your whole season. You choose who appears and what you charge.

Do I need a subscription to use BallHawk?

No. BallHawk works right out of the box with the apps you already use, like your camera, social, and live-streaming apps. No subscription and no Apollo Streams app required.

The Apollo Streams Capture subscription is optional. It adds the sports production tools: AI sports tracking, instant replays, live scoreboards, live streaming, one-tap highlights, and full broadcasting controls.

Do I need BallHawk to use Apollo Streams?

No. You can start with just an iPhone and a Capture subscription. Add an iPad if you want a control center for multiple angles or an outside camera.

BallHawk adds hands-free AI tracking, so the camera follows the play by itself instead of someone holding or panning it.

Is it free for fans to watch?

Yes. Anyone can watch on the free Network app for iOS and Android, or on YouTube and Facebook. There is no subscription to watch a game.

The subscription is only for the person filming and producing the broadcast.

Do I need a professional videographer?

No. The system films and tracks the action for you. With BallHawk, no one has to run the camera at all. Add live commentary if you want it, but one person can run the whole broadcast.

Equipment and Setup

What do I need to get started?

At a minimum, an iPhone and an Apollo Streams Capture subscription.

Want multiple angles, live switching, or an outside camera? Add an iPad as your control center. Want hands-free tracking? Add BallHawk. You can see every setup option on the Build Your Broadcast page.

Which iPhones and iPads work?

For iPhone, start with an iPhone 12 or newer, running a recent version of iOS. The multiple cameras give you better zoom and framing.

Think of your iPhone and iPad as the computers running your broadcast. On the iPhone, the neural engine handles the tracking, and newer chips are far faster. An iPhone 17 tracks and processes much better than an iPhone 12. The iPad then handles replays and pulls highlights across multiple angles, and a faster iPad does that more smoothly. None of this is required to get started, but the better your equipment, the better the overall experience.

A few tips when choosing one. Skip the iPad Mini, the screen is too small to run a control center comfortably. The iPad Air is a great, fast option if you do not mind a smaller screen. The iPad Pro is the most powerful, and here is something most people miss: the 1TB and larger models come with double the RAM of the smaller-storage versions, which gives you more headroom when you are juggling multiple angles and pulling highlights. Regular iPads work too, just at a slower pace.

Do I need wifi at the field?

No. Apollo Streams works on a cell data plan. A stronger connection means higher quality video, so use the fastest signal you have, but data alone streams fine.

Can I use my own camera?

Yes. With a recent iPad and an HDMI capture adapter, you can bring almost any camera with an HDMI output into Apollo Streams and use the iPad as your control center.

Can I add a microphone for commentary?

Yes. You can connect an external or wireless microphone for commentary. Connect your audio before you go live. Audio settings lock once the stream starts, so if you add a mic after going live it will not pick up. If that happens, quit the app, reconnect, and start again.

Can I stream to YouTube or Facebook?

Yes. You can stream straight to YouTube or Facebook, and the Network app can embed those streams so they are easy to find and share. First-time setup on each platform takes a few steps. Our step-by-step setup guide walks you through it.

Does Apollo Streams work with GameChanger?

Yes, for baseball. If your team uses GameChanger, the Apollo Streams Basic plan connects right to it. BallHawk's AI tracking follows the game and you can live stream straight into the GameChanger app, so your broadcast shows up where your team and fans already are.

You can still capture highlights while you stream. Use the controller to zoom in and follow the play, so you get the close-up moments worth keeping.

GameChanger is a trademark of GameChanger Media, Inc. Apollo Streams is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GameChanger Media, Inc. or Dick's Sporting Goods.

My school blocks YouTube or Facebook on its wifi.

Ask your IT administrator to open port 1935. That lets Apollo Streams connect and stream without being blocked.

League Builder

Does our league get its own app?

Yes. Your league gets its own app. We give you a link to share with your teams, players, and families. They tap it once and it installs on their device, with your league's icon right on the home screen. It works on iPhone and Android, opens full screen, and feels like any app they already use.

What is included with League Builder?

Your league app brings everything into one place: schedules, standings, divisions, team pages, league messaging, and push alerts. It also has a Watch tab where families find live games and team highlights.

Every team in your league gets Apollo Streams Capture Pro included, so they can live stream games, capture highlights, and post them to their team page from day one.

What do the teams get?

Every team gets Apollo Streams Capture Pro included at no extra cost. That gives each team live streaming, instant replays, live scoreboards, and one-tap highlights, all posted straight to their team page where families already follow along.

Families can keep their favorite highlights long term in the Player Locker.

How much does League Builder cost?

It is $49 per team, per season, and every team gets Apollo Streams Capture Pro included, with live streaming. There is a one-time $199 fee to launch your league app. After that, you only pay the per-team fee for each season you run.

Can our league earn revenue?

Yes, in a few ways. You can sell sponsors across the league app, livestreams, and highlights, and teams can sell their own sponsors too.

There is also a fundraising program built around a product families actually want, with no inventory to manage. And your league earns 10 percent on Apollo Streams equipment your teams and families buy through your referral link, paid monthly.