What Lapse is
Lapse’s site says it is “an app which turns your iPhone into a disposable camera”, that it is “currently iOS only”, and that “you can only join if you have friends on Lapse or you invite yours”. It is “totally free” and says it does not run ads or sell data. Photos take time to develop and land in a friends-only feed. The tagline is “Friends not followers”.
Using it for an event
Lapse is a personal camera inside a friends network. Everyone who shoots needs the app, an iPhone, and an invite. There is no event roll, no QR code for guests, no Android, and no host controls, as far as Lapse’s own pages describe. A reviewer on its App Store listing asks for a collaborative album feature, which is a fair summary of the gap.
Side by side
| Feature | Kept | Lapse |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | EventsA host and a room of guests | FriendsA private, invite-only network |
| Guests need | NothingScan a QR, type a name | The Lapse app, an iPhone, an inviteiOS 17 or later |
| Android | YesBrowser camera | No“Currently iOS only” |
| Who sees the photos | Everyone on the rollWhen it develops, all at once | Your friends on LapseFriends-only feed |
| When photos develop | A time the host sets | LaterExact delay not stated on official pages |
| Shots | 36 per guest | No cap stated |
| Price | One-time per eventFree up to 5 guests | FreeNo in-app purchases listed |
| Ads and data sales | NoneSee the privacy page | None“We don’t run ads or sell your data” |
Which to pick
- Pick Lapse for a running camera with your close friends, all on iPhone, all willing to install it.
- Pick Kept for a night where the photographers are guests, on any phone, who will not install anything.
Questions
Does Lapse work on Android?
Can wedding guests use Lapse without an invite?
Do guests need to download an app to use Kept?
Can the host see the photos before everyone else?
How much does Kept cost?
Sources
Every claim about another product on this page comes from that product’s own website or store listing, checked on 15 September 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Give everyone a camera. Take away the screen.
Free for your first 5 guests. Your first roll takes about a minute to set up, and nobody has to install anything.