How to Check for a Camera in a Changing Room in 60 Seconds

This works in a gym changing room or a shop fitting room. The scan itself is quick. What can slow things down is the app asking for permissions and requiring an inspection name before it opens the camera, which is awkward standing in a cubicle with a queue outside. Do the setup at home.

Set it up before you go

Open PrivacyScan once at home and allow Bluetooth when iOS asks (it asks at first launch).
Go to Inspect, tap New Inspection, type something like "Changing room" in Location name (e.g. Hotel Room 204) and tap Start. Camera Tools only appears once an inspection is open.
Open Camera Tools, choose Lens Finder and tap Start once, so iOS asks for camera access now and not in the cubicle.
Leave the app on the Scan tab. Next time, Scan BLE is one tap.

The 60 seconds

How one minute splits in a fitting room
Seconds	What you do	In the app
0 to 20	Start the Bluetooth scan, stand still, read the top of the list	Scan BLE
20 to 35	Fingertip test on the mirror	nothing, your hand
35 to 55	Torch on hooks, top corners, vent, any outlet or odd fitting	Camera Tools, Lens Finder, Torch On
55 to 60	Glance at the list again, stop the scan	Stop BLE

Reading the Bluetooth list in a busy changing room

A gym changing room is noisy on Bluetooth: everyone's earbuds, watches and phones. Most rows say Unknown Device because they broadcast no name. Do not try to explain every row. Look at two things: a red SUSPICIOUS tag, and anything at three or four bars that is not yours.

Signal strength to distance, as the app bands it
Signal (RSSI)	Bars	Estimated Distance
-48 dBm	4	< 1 m (very close)
-58 dBm	3	1–3 m
-67 dBm	2	3–10 m
-74 dBm	2	3–10 m
-83 dBm	1	> 10 m

In a cubicle about two metres wide, anything inside it should read three or four bars. A device at -48 dBm that is not in your bag is in the cubicle with you, or right behind the partition. Tap it to see Signal (RSSI) change as you move the phone.

The flag is a plain name match. A name like Locker-CAM-02 gets SUSPICIOUS because it contains "cam". So does Oura Ring, because of "ring", and that one is someone's smart ring. AirPods Pro shows as normal. A camera with no name, or a neutral one, shows as Unknown Device with no flag at all.

How to check a two-way mirror in a changing room

The app's tip for Mirror is the fingertip test: touch the glass with a fingernail. A gap between your nail and its reflection points to a normal mirror; no gap is worth a closer look. On its own it is not conclusive, since some normal mirrors are front-coated, so if it fails, cup your hands around your eyes against the glass and look for a room behind it.

The torch in a bright cubicle

Lens Finder needs a dark room to work, and a fitting room lit from the ceiling is not one, and the torch reflection off a lens gets faint enough to miss. Hold the phone close, about a hand's width from the hook or vent, shade it with your other hand, and move slowly. The app doesn't read the picture for you; your eye is the detector.

Why the Wi-Fi scan is not part of this

The Wi-Fi scan only sees devices on the network your phone is joined to. A shop or gym camera would be on the staff network, not the guest Wi-Fi, and guest networks often hide devices from each other anyway. An empty Wi-Fi list in a changing room tells you nothing, so it is worth skipping here.

What it costs and what it misses

The Bluetooth scan and Lens Finder cost nothing, with no scan limit. An ad shows after every third Bluetooth scan you stop in the free version, which gets old fast if checking several rooms in a row. Pro removes the ads, and that's the main reason to pay for it.

It will not find a camera that only records to a memory card, one with Bluetooth switched off, or one behind a hole too small to see. A minute covers the obvious spots, and no more than that.

Questions and answers

Are there cameras in changing rooms?

Shops and gyms often have security cameras in the corridor or the area outside the cubicles; what is allowed inside differs by country, and the app cannot tell you that. Look for posted signs and ask the staff. A camera pointing into a cubicle is what this check is for.

How do I check a two-way mirror in a changing room?

Touch the glass with a fingernail: a gap between nail and reflection points to a normal mirror, no gap is worth a closer look. Then cup your hands against the glass and look for a lit space behind it. Neither test is proof on its own.

Can I check a changing room for cameras with my iPhone?

Partly. A Bluetooth scan lists nearby devices and flags camera-style names, and the torch with the live camera view helps you spot a lens. Your iPhone cannot pick up radio signals or see a camera with no radio, so the visual check is not optional.

Why do so many devices show as Unknown Device?

Most Bluetooth devices do not broadcast a name. In a gym that is mostly people's earbuds, watches and phones. Pay attention to strong signals that stay strong while you move around the cubicle.

How to find hidden Bluetooth devices and cameras on your iPhone · PrivacyScan

How do you check for a camera in a changing room?