There are many situations where you might not want your GoPro to draw attention to itself. You might be filming a theatrical performance, capturing wildlife, or using the camera for street photography, where you don’t want the beeps and flashing red lights to be disruptive.
One interesting use I heard about was that the visual effects team of Blade Runner 2049 used GoPros hidden on the sets to provide alternate views for their CGI rendering. They called them witness cameras, and they obviously didn’t want blinking red lights appearing in the final shot.
Whatever your reason, there are ways to make GoPros significantly more discreet.
The hardware solution: Blackout housings & sleeves
For older models like the HERO4 and HERO3, GoPro sold an official Blackout Housing. This was a matte-black waterproof case that covered the LEDs and made the camera nearly invisible in dark environments.
For modern cameras (HERO9 through HERO13), GoPro does not sell an official blackout housing. However, you have two modern alternatives:
- Silicone Sleeves: You can buy black silicone sleeves that cover most of the camera body. While they don’t cover the screens, they kill the gray/black contrast of the camera body.
- DIY Blackout: Many pros simply buy the clear Protective Housing and spray paint it matte black (just make sure to mask the lens port and back screen panel!) This effectively recreates the old “Blackout Housing.”
The software solution: Stealth mode settings
The easiest way to make your camera discreet is to change the settings. You need to address three things:
- Beeps: The loud chirps when recording starts/stops.
- LED Lights: The blinking red tally lights (front and back).
- Screens: The front and rear LCD displays.
HERO13, HERO12, HERO11, HERO10 & HERO9 Black
These models share a very similar menu structure. Here is how to go full stealth.
1. Turn off the beeps
Swipe down to open the Dashboard. Tap the Musical Note Icon until it shows a line through it (Mute). This silences all startup, shutdown, and recording beeps.
2. Kill the flashing lights (LEDs)
By default, the camera blinks red to let you know it is recording. You can turn this off entirely.
Swipe Down > Swipe Left > Preferences > General > LEDs > All Off3. Disable the front screen
The front screen on these models is a full-color LCD. You don’t want it glowing in the dark.
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Swipe down to open the Dashboard. Look for the icon that looks like a small screen (usually bottom center or bottom left). Tap it and select the Screen with an X icon. This turns the front screen off completely.
4. Dim the rear screen
You cannot turn the rear screen off completely while recording (unless you use the screen saver), but you can dim it to the absolute minimum.
Preferences > Displays > Screen Saver Rear > 1 Minand
Preferences > Displays > Brightness > 10%HERO8 Black settings
The HERO8 does not have a front color screen (just a monochrome status screen), so it is naturally a bit stealthier.
- Beeps:
Preferences > General > Beep Volume > Mute - LEDs:
Preferences > General > LEDs > All Off - Rear Screen:
Preferences > Touch Screen > Screen Saver > 1 Min
HERO7 Black, Silver & White
For the HERO7 lineup, the settings are tucked away in the Preferences menu.
- Beeps:
Preferences > General > Beep Volume > Off - LEDs:
Preferences > General > LEDs > All Off
HERO5 Session & HERO Session
The Session cameras are great for stealth because they are tiny and lack a glowing rear screen. However, you must use the GoPro Quik App to change these settings, as the small status screen on the camera is too limited.
Connect your camera to the app, then go to:
- Beeps:
Settings > Beeps > OFF - LEDs:
Settings > LED Blink > OFF
Physical modifications (the tape trick)
Even with all settings turned off, some older cameras (or specific firmware versions) might still flash a blue LED for Wi-Fi or have a glowing status screen. The ultimate low-tech solution is black gaffer tape.
Unlike duct tape, gaffer tape does not leave a sticky residue (or at least the good-quality stuff doesn’t). You can cut small squares to cover the front status screen and the Wi-Fi light. This ensures zero light leaks without damaging your camera.
I recently purchased a GoPro session and cannot seem to figure out how to turn off the sound. With the updated app, they no longer have the beep section on the app to turn it off. Do you know a possible solution to this? Thanks
There’s no Settings/Beep/Off on Hero 4/5 Session using iPhone GoPro App. Must be a new thing.
I’m not aware of a way to do that and haven’t been able to find any information on it online. One workaround hack might be to use a frame or housing that doesn’t have cutouts for the buttons, or get one of the clear waterproof housings and remove the spring for the buttons (or glue them open). None of these would completely prevent disabling the camera–nor simply blocking the lens, of course–but it would slow down the process. They’re also the types of things that can come in useful when curious toddlers get their hands on the camera…
Is there a way to prevent someone from stopping my video from recording even if they push the button on top or side? Hero 6 Black I heard there was a GoPro that had a combination of sorts to prevent it from being turned off. Using for recording police and don’t want them to be able to easily stop my recording. Thanks
Hello,
I wrote asking about printing problems earlier. Well I found that something got ahold of both of my browsers and had changed the scaling. There are no issues on your end. Sorry for the bother.
Thanks again for the great work on your website.
HERO4 Session firmware V 1.0 could be hacked to turn the screen OFF while recording.
too bad I upgraded…
I have the Hero5 Session, and the “On-Camera Settings” above aren’t correct. There is no “Preferences” menu on the Hero5 Session. You are required to use their mobile app on a newer mobile device to access most of the settings, such as anything you list under Preferences. It’s extremely frustrating.
Right. As I note, the on-camera option for these isn’t available on the HERO5 Session. I’ve now added some notes to make that clearer.