Insta360’s new gimbal add-on brings subject tracking to any camera app

Insta360 has announced a new accessory for its Flow 2 Pro smartphone gimbal that allows any camera app to take advantage of the company’s AI-powered tracking technology. Previously, subject tracking required the use of the company’s own Android or iOS camera app, or iOS apps that supported Apple’s DockKit framework. The new Insta360 Flow 2 Pro AI Tracker handles the tracking and controls the gimbal on its own, letting you record, stream, or make calls with your preferred smartphone app.

With the introduction of DockKit in 2023, developers were able to make iOS camera apps compatible with motorized stands and mounts and add subject tracking capabilities without having to develop that feature themselves. That’s what allows many third-party iOS camera apps, such as Blackmagic Camera, to work with devices like the Flow 2 Pro.

Insta360’s new tracker module is a workaround for Android lacking its own built-in tracking framework. It’s got its own camera and Insta360’s tracking technology baked into the hardware. It doesn’t matter what smartphone camera app you’re using (on iOS or Android) — you’ll still get stabilized video with your subject automatically framed at all times, whether they’re human or a dog or cat. However, the tracking capabilities aren’t as robust as what you’ll get from Insta360’s app, which can track multiple people and track while zoomed into a subjects.

The AI Tracker module also brings gesture functionality to other apps, allowing you to start and stop its tracking. by raising your hand, or start and stop recording video by raising two fingers. There’s an LED fill light built into it with color temperature adjustments, it can be used facing forwards or back for selfie videos, and instead of relying on a battery, the tracking module draws all the power it needs while attached to the Flow 2 Pro gimbal.

The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro AI Tracker is available now on its own for $39.99, but the company is also offering it as part of a $179 AI Tracker Bundle that includes the $159.99 Flow 2 Pro gimbal, reducing the price of the add-on module to around $20.

The new AI tracker is a similar solution to what DJI introduced today on its new $149 Osmo Mobile 7 Pro which also expands tracking capabilities to more than just DJI’s mobile app. In our testing, the Osmo Mobile 7 Pro’s battery life was reduced from about 10 hours to around five while using its external tracking module, but Insta360 hasn’t revealed how much its new AI tracker will reduce the Flow 2 Pro’s battery life.