Teleprompter for iPad: a bigger prompter for desks, studios and glass

Why use an iPad as a teleprompter?

Size. iPad screens run from about 8 inches on iPad mini to 13 inches on the larger iPad Air and iPad Pro. That means bigger text, more lines ahead of you and more room to sit back, and the farther you are from the lens, the less your eye movement shows. It's also big enough to read through teleprompter glass from several feet away. Scrollglass runs on iPad and iPhone with one purchase, so you can use whichever fits the shoot.

Where is the iPad front camera: landscape or portrait?

It depends on the model, and it matters, because your eyes should stay as close to the lens as possible.

• On the long edge (landscape): iPad Pro and iPad Air models from 2024 on, and the standard iPad from the 10th generation on. Hold these sideways, camera at the top.
• On the short edge (portrait): iPad mini, through the 2024 model, and older iPad Pro and iPad Air models. Hold these upright, camera at the top.

Not sure? Find the small lens in the bezel and turn the iPad so it's at the top. Scrollglass keeps the line you're reading on the Eye Line, right under the camera. For vertical TikTok or Instagram videos on a landscape-camera iPad, the camera ends up on the side, so an iPhone held upright is often simpler.

iPad teleprompter setups for desk and studio

• Desk: Put the iPad on a stand at eye level, about an arm's length away. Add a few books under it if you need height. A camera below your face looks up at your chin.
• Tripod: Use a tablet mount and set the camera at eye level or slightly above.
• Video calls: Put the iPad right under your webcam and read your notes while you look at the camera. See teleprompter for Zoom.
• Light: Face a window or a soft lamp. Light behind you turns you into a silhouette.
• Quiet the iPad: Turn on Do Not Disturb so notifications don't slide over your script.
• Give yourself a beat: A 5- or 10-second countdown lets you tap Record, settle and look at the lens.

Scrollglass saves front-camera takes to Photos, in one-second pieces as you record. If the app closes, a call comes in or the battery dies, the next launch shows “Your take survived.”

How to use an iPad with teleprompter glass

A beam-splitter teleprompter puts a sheet of special glass at an angle in front of the camera lens. The iPad lies face up under it, the glass reflects your script toward you, and the camera records through the glass, so you read while looking straight into the lens.

The reflection reverses the words, so you need mirrored text, and some rigs also need it upside down. Scrollglass does both in Prompt mode, which shows the script on its own and doesn't record: the camera behind the glass does. Turn the iPad's brightness up, because the glass reflects only part of the light, and use the rig's hood or a dark cloth to keep room light off the glass.

Text size and reading distance on iPad

The right text size is the one you can read from your spot without leaning in or squinting.

• At a desk (2 to 3 feet): a medium size, with about 5 to 8 words per line.
• On a tripod or glass rig (4 feet or more): go big, even if only 3 to 5 words fit on a line.
• Narrow the text width so your eyes don't sweep side to side. It shows most when you sit close.
• Pick a typeface that's easy for you: Scrollglass offers Sans, Serif and Rounded.

Test it: stand where you'll record and read a paragraph out loud. Rehearsing is free forever, so test as often as you like, and check your pace with the words-per-minute calculator.

Voice follow: an iPad teleprompter that listens

With voice follow, the text follows your voice. It waits when you pause, catches up when you skip ahead and ignores ad-libs, which helps when the iPad sits on a stand, out of reach. It runs on your device and works offline; the first time you use a language, the iPad may download Apple's speech model.

It works in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Russian, Turkish and Dutch, depending on the device. In Ukrainian and other languages, the text scrolls at a steady speed you set in words per minute. More in our voice-activated teleprompter guide.

Sound-only recording for podcasts and voice-overs

Turn the camera off and every Scrollglass take is sound only. The app never turns the camera on, or even asks for it, and saves takes as audio files in the Files app, ready for your editor. Voice follow and crash-safe recording still work. Put the iPad on a stand just behind your mic, at eye level, so you read with your head up instead of looking down at a table.

How to set up an iPad teleprompter on a glass rig

1. Mount the iPadLay it face up in the rig's base, under the glass, with your camera behind the glass.
2. Open your script in Prompt modePrompt mode shows only the script. It doesn't record; your camera does.
3. Mirror the textTurn on mirrored text. If the words look upside down in the glass, turn on upside-down text too.
4. Size it from your spotStand where you'll record, raise the text size until it's easy to read, and narrow the text width.
5. Set the paceChoose a steady speed in words per minute, or use “Finish in” so the script ends at the time you need.
6. Frame and recordFrame your shot through the glass, start recording on your camera, and read straight into the lens.

Frequently asked questions