How Do I Change the Video Recording Duration for My BirdSnap Smart Feeder?
Quick Answer
Open the BirdSnap app and go to Camera Settings → Motion Detection → Video Length. You can choose from 10s, 15s, or 20s per clip. Subscribed users also have access to auto mode, which extends recordings up to 3 minutes while motion is continuously detected.
What's Happening
By default, the BirdSnap camera records a 10-second clip each time motion is detected. This default is a balance between capturing enough footage to see the bird and conserving battery and cloud storage space. If 10 seconds isn't long enough to watch a bird eat, or if you want longer clips for sharing, you can extend this to suit your preferences.
Step-by-Step: Changing Recording Duration
Step 1 — Open the BirdSnap app and tap the Settings icon in the top-right corner of your camera's live view. Alternatively, you can tap the rightmost icon at the bottom of the BirdSnap to go to the profile page. Then tap Device Management and tap the camera you want to change.
Step 2 — Tap Motion Detection, then select Video Length.
| Duration | Best for |
|---|---|
| 10s (default) | Quick motion checks; maximizes battery life |
| 15s | General bird watching |
| 20s | Watching feeding behavior in more detail |
| auto (subscription only) | Continuous recording up to 3 min while motion persists |
Step 3 — Your selection saves automatically. The new duration applies to the next motion-triggered recording.
What to Keep in Mind
Longer clips use more cloud storage. Free accounts include 3 days of rolling cloud storage. Longer recording durations will fill that storage faster. If you regularly use longer clips, a subscription (which extends cloud storage to 15 days) is worth considering.
Longer clips drain the battery faster. Each recording keeps the camera fully active for its entire duration. If battery life is a concern, 10–15 seconds is the most efficient setting.
auto mode extends recordings while motion continues. With a subscription, auto mode will keep recording as long as the camera detects ongoing motion — up to 3 minutes — rather than cutting off at a fixed point. This is ideal for watching long feeding sessions without multiple short clips.
When to Contact Support
If the recording duration setting does not appear in your app, or if clips are consistently ending earlier than the selected duration, contact support. Short clips can also be caused by upload failures — see the related article on videos being only 2 seconds long for more detail.
- Email: support@birdsnap.com
- Phone: +1 573-514-4826
- Live chat: Available at BirdSnap.com
- In-app chat: Tap the chat icon in the BirdSnap app
- Facebook Messenger: Message us via our official Facebook page
Our support team is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time.
