My Two-Phone Teleprompter Setup for YouTube (It Fits in a Backpack)

I film my YouTube videos on location, at ruins and historic sites, so a studio teleprompter is out of the question. What I use instead is two phones and a folding teleprompter that goes in my backpack with everything else. This is the exact kit, how it goes together, and the parts I'd do differently with a bigger budget.

I make FeatherCue, the prompter app in this setup. The Amazon links below are affiliate links: if you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The kit

Why two phones

A teleprompter works by putting the words directly in front of the lens, so you're reading and looking into the camera at the same time. The camera can't also be the screen showing your script, so one phone films and the other one prompts. My Galaxy S23 Ultra is the camera, and the prompter is an older-generation iPhone. All the prompter phone has to do is show big text and hear my voice, so an old phone is plenty.

How it goes together

1. Camera phone behind the glass. The S23 Ultra mounts behind the teleprompter's angled glass, with the lens centred so it films straight through.
2. Prompter phone underneath. The old iPhone lies face up under the glass. Its screen reflects off the glass toward you.
3. Turn on mirror mode. A reflection reads backwards, so in FeatherCue I switch on the horizontal mirror and the text reads the right way round on the glass. This is a Pro feature.
4. Snap it onto the tripod. I keep the tripod's quick-release plate permanently attached to the teleprompter, so setup is one click instead of screwing it on every time.
5. Mic to the camera phone. My DJI Mic Mini is linked to the S23, so the recording gets the clean audio. The iPhone doesn't need it: Voice Scroll just listens through the iPhone's own microphone.
6. Roll. Start recording on the S23, then start the script on the iPhone.

Voice Scroll or Auto Scroll?

FeatherCue can scroll two ways. Voice Scroll listens through the prompter phone and moves the script as you talk. It waits when you stop to point at something or go off script, then picks up when you're back on the words. Auto Scroll just moves at a steady speed you set with a slider. It needs no microphone, so it's the fallback when it's windy or loud. Either way, put notes to yourself between double dashes, like -- walk toward the doorway --. They stay on screen, but Voice Scroll won't wait for you to say them.

The honest caveats

The tripod tips over

I bought a cheap, compact tripod to keep the kit small, and that comes with a trade-off. With a teleprompter and two phones on top, it's top-heavy and will tip if you let go of it, so I keep a hand on it whenever it's standing. What it does do is take the weight, so my arm gets a break from holding the whole rig up for every take. If your budget and bag allow, get a larger, sturdier tripod.

It works handheld, but it's heavy

Close the tripod legs and you can carry the full rig by hand, prompter and both phones attached. It's heavy, but for vlog-style walk-and-talk shots it works.

Tips if you're building your own

• Use a big text size. You're reading a reflection from arm's length or further, and smaller text always looks fine until you try to read it on camera.
• Keep the margins narrow so your eyes move less across the line. On camera, eye movement is what gives a teleprompter away.
• Write the way you talk. A script that sounds like an essay will sound read, no matter how good the prompter is.
• Do a short test take before the real one and watch it back for glare on the glass.

Comparing prompter apps? Here are five teleprompter apps that follow your voice, compared.