Field capture — overview

In the field, pulling out a laptop is not always practical: on a roof, in a low basement, in an attic, outside in winter, with gloves on. Lumos Capture is the native iOS app designed for those moments — fast, touch-friendly, usable offline. This page describes its role in your inspection day and the design choices that make it efficient.

Lumos Capture vs Web Mobile vs Web

Lumos offers three display types for interacting with the platform:

Lumos Web — the desktop version, for in-depth writing at the office.
Lumos Web Mobile — the responsive version of the web app on a mobile browser, useful for light mobility.
Lumos Capture — the native iOS app dedicated to field work.

Lumos Capture does not replace the web app: it extends it with native functions optimized for the field (multimedia capture, quick review, offline operation) while integrating the full web app via a dedicated tab. You stay in a single application, regardless of context.

Who Lumos Capture is for

Practically all inspectors benefit from it for their field visits. It is particularly valuable for:

Roofs and façades — hands-free photo + audio capture is possible.
Basements, attics, crawlspaces — where lighting and network connectivity are weak.
Inspections in tough weather — gloves, rain, snow; dark mode by default reduces visual fatigue.
High-volume photo and observation files — batch capture is faster than in a browser.

Platforms

iOS — available on the App Store: Lumos Capture on the App Store .
Android — coming soon.

If you work on Android, use Lumos Web Mobile in your browser in the meantime.

Native vs web split

The app combines two worlds:

Task	Native (fast, offline)	Web via Lumos tab
See my inspections of the day	✓	—
Capture photos / audio / notes	✓	—
Review AI-generated findings	✓	—
Classify (Information / Limitation / Deficiency / Method)	✓	—
Create a new inspection	—	✓
Finalize and deliver a report	—	✓
Advanced AI rewriting	—	✓
Full Narrative Bank	✓ (integrated)	✓
Manage clients, templates, settings	—	✓

Native parts work offline. The Lumos tab (integrated web app) requires an internet connection — that is its only difference from a native function.

A typical day’s flow

At the office — You create your inspections on the web app (or via the Lumos tab from mobile): client, address, date, template.
In the field — You open Lumos Capture. Your day’s inspections are already synchronized and ready.
Capture on site — For each observation: photos + audio note + (optional) text note grouped into a single capture.
AI processing in the background — While you keep capturing, the AI generates a draft finding (title, description, classification, severity).
Quick review on mobile — You adjust the classification, title, content. You decide: draft or add to report.
Finalization — Back at the office, you polish on the web app (or directly via the Lumos tab in the field if connection is good) and deliver the report to the client.

UX principles

A few choices that make field use easier:

Offline-first — native capture works without network. Captures are stored locally and automatically synchronize as soon as connection returns. You never think about sync.
No spinners on local data — inspection list and findings appear instantly.
Generous touch targets (44 points minimum) — designed for gloved fingers.
Immediate feedback on every interaction: haptic, animation, visual state.
Dark mode by default to reduce visual fatigue and save battery during prolonged use.
Invisible synchronization — no manual action required, no possible data loss.

Limits to know about

The Lumos tab (integrated web app) requires connection. If you are offline, it does not load — but all native functions remain available.
Creating a new inspection is done via the Lumos tab or web app at the office, not in native mode. This is intentional — creation requires data that must be validated against your account (templates, contacts, contract templates).
Final delivery of a report is done on the web app (or via the Lumos tab). Mobile is designed for collection and review, not finalization.

How this section is organized

Lumos Capture — Download, first sign-in, three-tab interface.
Inspections list — Day view, navigation, statuses, sync indicator.
Multimedia capture — Photos, audio note, text note, AI processing in the background.
Review findings — The Review modal, classification, content, draft vs add to report.
Settings and synchronization — All mobile settings + detailed offline-first behavior.