Most inspections go smoothly, but when something does go sideways it is almost always one of a handful of fixable things — a borescope that will not connect, a stalled preview, a murky image, or a sign-in that does not take. This section is the fastest path from "that's not working" back to capturing. Each problem below leads with the likely cause and the quickest fix.
Tip — When in doubt, the single most useful thing you can do is Send a Diagnostic Report (covered at the end of this section). It gives support exactly what they need to help, without you having to describe the problem perfectly.
12.1 The borescope will not connect
When Jug Scope cannot find or reach your borescope, work through these in order — most connection problems are solved in the first two steps:
- Confirm your iPad or iPhone is on the borescope's WiFi network. For a WiFi borescope, the device has to be joined to the borescope's network (check iOS Settings → WiFi), not your home or hangar WiFi. Hardware setup is covered in §3, Hardware Setup.
- Power-cycle the borescope. Turn it off, wait about five seconds, turn it back on, and give it a moment to start broadcasting.
- Get closer. WiFi borescopes stream over a short-range connection. Keep the borescope within a few feet of your device.
- For USB-C on iPad, reseat the cable. Connect the borescope directly to the iPad's USB-C port — some hubs and adapters do not pass through camera video. (USB-C borescopes require an iPad; iPhone does not support them — use WiFi on iPhone.)
- Run Borescope Diagnostics from Settings → Troubleshooting to probe the connection and surface what is reachable.
12.2 The live preview is blank, frozen, or stalled
You are connected, but there is no picture, or the picture has frozen:
- Give it a few seconds. WiFi borescopes can take a moment to begin streaming after connecting.
- If the preview stalls mid-session, use the connection dialog's retry to re-establish the stream — this recovers most stalls without restarting anything.
- Check the lens cap and the LED. No light, or a capped lens, looks exactly like a dead preview.
- Move closer / reduce interference. A weak signal shows up as a frozen or stuttering preview before it drops entirely.
12.3 The image quality is poor
A washed-out, dark, grainy, or blurry picture is usually about light, distance, and focus — not the app:
- Adjust the borescope's LED brightness. Too bright washes out the detail; too dim adds noise. Most borescopes have a brightness control on the cable or pod.
- Get the right distance. Fill the frame without jamming the probe against the surface. Back off slightly if the center is blown out.
- Clean the lens. Oil film on the probe tip is a common, easily missed cause of a soft image.
- Hold still before you capture. The most common cause of a blurry shot is movement at the instant of capture — let the preview settle, then shoot.
- For WiFi borescopes, a weak signal lowers stream quality; move closer to your device.
For more on getting clean, analyst-ready captures, see §4.11, Tips for good captures.
12.4 I can capture, but I cannot upload, export, or share
This is by design, not a bug. Capturing an inspection is always free — you can run a complete inspection without a subscription. Uploading to the cloud, exporting, and sharing are what a subscription unlocks. If you are hitting a paywall on one of those actions, you are at the line where the subscription begins. See §9, Billing & Plans.
During beta: Upload, export, and sharing are all open to beta testers — you should not hit a paywall during the beta. If you do, send a diagnostic report (§12.9).
12.5 My subscription is not recognized
If you have subscribed but the app still acts as though you have not:
- Open Settings → Subscription and tap Refresh Subscription Status. Jug Scope re-checks with the App Store.
- Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used to subscribe.
- If you are offline, reconnect and try the refresh again — the app uses your last known status until it can reach the App Store.
See §9.6, Managing your subscription.
12.6 A shared inspection did not arrive
If someone sent you an inspection and it is not showing up:
- Give cloud sync a moment and confirm your device has a connection.
- Confirm you are signed in to the same account the inspection was shared to.
- If they sent a
.jugscopefile by AirDrop, Mail, or Messages instead of through the cloud, open that file directly to import it — see §10, Importing & Sample Data.
Sharing and cloud delivery are covered in §6, Sharing & Analysis.
12.7 An upload for analysis failed
If sending an inspection out for expert analysis fails:
- Confirm you are signed in to your analysis account in Settings (see §11.9).
- Confirm you selected the matching aircraft in your analysis-account settings before uploading.
- Check your connection — uploading is the one part of Jug Scope that requires internet.
- Retry; uploads are queued and resilient to brief drops.
12.8 Sign-in problems
If Sign in with Apple fails and you see "Sign in failed. Apple may require additional setup — please try again," the usual cause is not your device or the app — it is a brief delay on Apple's side while your new sign-in propagates through their system.
- Wait about ten minutes, then try again. This clears the great majority of these failures on its own.
- Make sure you are signed in to iCloud on the device and have a connection.
- If it still fails after a wait, send a diagnostic report (below) so support can take a look.
During beta: Beta testers sign in and register through the beta flow described in §2. If your beta access seems to have moved or disappeared, the recovery path is covered there.
12.9 Sending a diagnostic report
When something is not working and the fixes above have not helped, a diagnostic report is the best thing you can send support. From Settings → Troubleshooting, tap Send Diagnostic Report. Jug Scope packages your connection info, settings, and device details into a single report and sends it. No inspection images are included — only technical details that help diagnose the problem.
If you are a TestFlight beta tester, you can also take a screenshot to send feedback with diagnostics attached automatically.
12.10 Frequently asked questions
Which devices does Jug Scope support?
iPad and iPhone running iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. USB-C borescopes require an iPad; WiFi borescopes work on both iPad and iPhone.
Which borescopes work?
Jug Scope ships with 27 pre-configured WiFi borescope profiles, and any standard USB-C borescope works on iPad. See §3, Hardware Setup for recommended models and the full compatibility picture.
Do I need an analysis account to use the app?
No. You can capture, review, compare, export, and share without one. An analysis account is only needed if you want to upload inspections directly for expert review.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. Capture, review, comparison, and export all work without internet. The only features that need a connection are cloud sync and uploading for analysis.
How many images is a full inspection?
Sixty-six for a six-cylinder engine and forty-four for a four-cylinder engine — eleven views per cylinder. More if you add Other Components. See §4, The Inspection Workflow.
Can I retake a single view without redoing the whole cylinder?
Yes. Navigate to any view, on any cylinder, anytime, and retake it. You can keep multiple takes and choose the best — see §4.6.
How much does Jug Scope cost?
Capturing is free. A subscription unlocks upload, export, and sharing, with plans for individual owners and for shops, plus a one-time single-inspection unlock. See §9, Billing & Plans for the current plans.
During beta: All features are free for beta testers; you will not be asked to subscribe.
12.11 Contact support
If you cannot resolve a problem, reach support at [email protected] and include your device model, iOS version, borescope make and model, and a diagnostic report (§12.9) if you can. We typically respond within a day.