Insta360

Insta360 is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Berlin. Founded in 2015 by JK Liu, Insta360 specializes in designing and manufacturing 360-degree cameras, action cameras, editing software for mobile and desktop, and stereoscopic 180-degree cameras for virtual reality (VR) content creation. Same as with some DJI products, this manufacturer's devices require an initial connection to a proprietary app in order to be usable. DJI allows only five power-on cycles before requiring activation through their DJI Mimo app for cameras like the Osmo Action series and Pocket 3.[[1]]( In contrast, manufacturers like ~AKASO~ and SJCAM maintain more consumer-friendly approaches, allowing their cameras to operate without app activation. Their apps provide remote control and advanced features but remain optional enhancements rather than mandatory requirements. Please check if the activation via the Insta360 APP can be bypassed via manual firmware update, as supposedly this is the case with GoPro cameras. For manual firmware updates for your camera, please check the Insta360 manual. As of writing in 2025, the current version isn't as different compared to similar agreements by other digital companies, but it cannot be ruled out whether under the current user service agreement they would still enforce the aspects of prior user service agreements and disable user accounts and applications if those were considered as breached. Since an user account and an application was/is required for continued use of the products, termination of such would effectively terminate the hardware too (see also Forced account ). It was mentioned that if either agreeing party of this agreement breached it, " the breaching party shall compensate the defending party for the damage ".[[2]]( Section 8 again mandated that any content user may transmit trough their application does not contain content critical of the People's Republic of China. If these rules were breached, the company reserves the right to terminate services and to report the user to relevant government departments.[[2]]( Effectively bricking the hardware as a result. For example the Starlapse mode, which is available on-camera. In this mode the camera does indeed shoot a timelapse with long exposure frames as expected, but the actual starlapse with star trails as advertised on the official page cannot be created outside of the mobile app. Even in the desktop official insta360 app, the starlapse is not available at all. If the user wants to create a starlapse, then they must keep all the photos on the microSD card and use the mobile app to frame and export the video. If at a later date the user wants to export another angle of view from the same timelapse, then they must copy all the individual frames back to the microSD card, insert it into the camera and use the mobile app once again. Uses proprietary desktop and mobile editors Uses MPEG-4! - Can stitch with FFmpeg if correct settings used. (edit page when correct settings found.) All recent Insta360 camera models require mandatory activation through the Insta360 mobile app before they can record any video or take photos.[[5]]( [[6]]( [[7]]( This activation process demands: Without completing this activation process, cameras costing hundreds of dollars are non-functional for their primary purpose of recording video or taking photos. No desktop activation alternative exists at the time of writing, leaving users with incompatible smartphones or those in areas without reliable internet unable to use their purchased devices.[[9]]( [[10]]( 1. Connect their cameras via WiFi and Bluetooth 2. Confirm the connection on the camera's touchscreen 3. Maintain an internet connection throughout the entire process[[11]]( This has led to widespread complaints from professional videographers who have missed critical filming opportunities and travelers who discovered they couldn't activa