How the internet’s favorite squirrel dad made the hottest camera app of 2026

Downey astatine location successful LA with 1 of his channel’s predominant impermanent stars. | Image: The Verge; Shutterstock

It's not hyperbole to telephone DualShot Recorder an overnight sensation.

It took lone 12 hours from the clip it was released to deed fig 1 connected the App Store's database of apical paid apps. It was a astonishment occurrence - but what's adjacent much astonishing is the app's root story: it each started with a cadre of affable vicinity squirrels and their favourite caretaker.

Derrick Downey Jr. built a vocation connected short-form videos documenting his interactions with the squirrels that sojourn his patio successful LA. His Instagram and TikTok accounts each person good implicit a cardinal followers (myself included) who cognize good the regular formed of characters: Maxine, Richard, …

Read the afloat communicative astatine The Verge.