Android Dashcam Loop Recording and Storage with Hawk
Hawk is a phone-based dashcam app for Android that records continuously with automatic loop recording, stores clips with tamper-proof hashes, and syncs locked evidence to your own cloud storage. Unlike traditional dashcam hardware, it needs no separate device and no subscription to start.
How Loop Recording Works in Hawk
Hawk continuously records your journey and automatically loops when your phone's storage fills up, overwriting the oldest footage first. Each clip is timestamped with GPS speed and location data (optional overlay), and receives a SHA-256 integrity hash - a cryptographic fingerprint that proves the video hasn't been edited or corrupted. This hash-per-clip approach is what makes Hawk evidence-grade: you can export any clip with its manifest and submit it to insurance companies, police, or a small-claims court with proof of authenticity. Loop recording runs silently in the background, even with the screen locked, so you never have to manually press record or worry about missing critical moments.
Storage and Retention on Your Android Phone
The Free tier stores up to 10 clips per month with 7-day retention, letting you test the app and confirm it works on your vehicle. Local Pro (£3.99/month or £39.99/year) and the lifetime option (£49.99) remove the clip limit and give you indefinite retention: footage stays on your phone until you delete it manually or your phone's storage runs out. Because Hawk records locally to your device, you control where your data lives. No mandatory cloud upload, no third-party servers logging your journeys. If you want a backup, Pro clips can sync to your own iCloud account for redundancy, but that's your choice. Rideshare drivers often record multi-trip shifts: the Rideshare Pro tier (£8.99/month) includes Shift Mode, which lets you group multiple journeys into one session and manage cabin and passenger recording separately.
Evidence Locker: Secure Storage for Dispute Clips
When you spot something worth keeping, tap the evidence heart. That clip moves to the Evidence Locker, a biometric-locked vault that's fail-closed: if your fingerprint or face ID fails, the locker stays sealed. Locked clips are marked with an integrity badge and can't be overwritten by loop recording, so they're permanently preserved. You can lock as many clips as you need. When you're ready to file a dispute, Hawk exports a ZIP file containing your locked evidence clips plus a JSON manifest listing the SHA-256 hash of each video. That ZIP is your one-tap submission: send it to your insurance company, police department, or courts with full cryptographic proof that nothing has been tampered with since recording. No editing, no gaps, no guesswork.
GPS Overlay and Trip Replay
Hawk records GPS speed and location for every frame, then overlays that data on your video (or hides it, your choice, via GDPR-aware privacy settings). You can also replay any trip as a polyline on a map, showing your exact route and speed profile for that journey. This helps when you're proving what happened to an insurer or court: the map confirms your location, the speed overlay proves you weren't speeding (or proves the other driver was), and the synchronised footage backs it up. Trip replay is available for free; GPS overlay is included in all tiers.
Android vs iOS: What to Expect
Hawk works on both Android and iPhone. On Android, you get continuous loop recording, evidence locker, GPS overlay, trip replay, and one-tap dispute export. iOS users also get police-report submission via NDSP (a direct link to file with law enforcement) and some Siri Shortcuts integrations. Both platforms receive the same core: court-ready hashing, biometric lock, and local or cloud storage. As of June 2026, Hawk has no subscription lock-in on the Free tier, so you can test it for a month and decide if you need Pro. If you drive rideshare (Uber, Lyft, Bolt), Rideshare Pro on either platform adds cabin camera and shift-mode grouping.
Why Not a Dedicated Dashcam Device
Hawk saves you £150-300 on hardware because your phone is already in your car. No wiring, no separate power, no memory cards to manage, no dashboard clutter. You mount your phone on the windscreen (just like you would a sat nav), and it's a full-featured dashcam with better hashing and evidence export than most hardware devices. Because everything syncs to your iCloud or stays locally encrypted, you own your footage. You decide when to delete it, not some cloud service. For rideshare drivers, the cabin-camera option (Rideshare Pro) lets you record passengers too, with on-screen notice of recording - important for safety and disputes.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Hawk loop recording delete old videos automatically
Yes. On Free tier, clips expire after 7 days. On Local Pro or Rideshare Pro, loop recording overwrites the oldest file when your phone storage reaches its limit, but locked evidence clips are never deleted. You control retention; nothing disappears unless you run out of space or delete it manually.
Can I export loop recording clips with proof they're authentic
Yes. Every clip carries a SHA-256 integrity hash. When you export locked evidence as a ZIP, Hawk includes a manifest with the hash of each video, proving it hasn't been edited or corrupted since recording.
Is Hawk loop recording free on Android
Yes, the Free tier is free: 10 clips per month with 7-day retention. Paid tiers unlock unlimited clips, longer retention, and iCloud sync. No subscription required to start.
Does Hawk upload my drive recordings to MRVL servers
No. Hawk records and stores locally on your phone by default. Pro clips can sync to your own iCloud for backup, but nothing goes to MRVL unless you explicitly choose to share it (e.g., exporting a ZIP for insurance).
How much phone storage does loop recording use
A typical 1080p video uses about 200-400 MB per hour of driving. How much space Hawk takes depends on your phone's available storage, your resolution settings, and how many trips you record. Free tier limits you to testing with 10 clips; Pro users get full control of retention.
Can I record my cabin and passengers with Hawk on Android
Cabin and passenger recording is available on Rideshare Pro (£8.99/month), which works on Android. The app displays a recording notice for passenger awareness, as required by law in most jurisdictions.