There has been some confusion as to whether the GoPro Hero 5 black can be charged while recording. On my YouTube Channel, I had made a video when the Hero 5 was first released showing the steps that needed to be taken in order to charge the internal battery of the GoPro Hero 5 Black while in its frame. As this camera was newly released many were unclear how to do long time lapses or extended night lapses due to the lack of accessory port on the back of the new Hero to attach a battery backpack. The Hero 5 black also had a new door over the charging port that when in the frame and mounted, could not be opened.

In my first video that I created about a week after the GoPro Hero 5 was released I demonstrated how the door was designed to be removed, it could then be mounted in its frame and you had full access to the charging port to allow for external power or power bank to be plugged in. This offered the only solution for doing long time lapses and keeping the camera charged while mounted and filming.

I noticed that I was getting many comments stating that their Hero 5 would not charge while recording. This really perplexed me as I have been using this solution for many months and had not had any issues. Upon further investigating I figured out the problem. Really it was not a problem but just a confusing icon strategy by GoPro.

How To Do Long Night-Lapses With Your GoPro Hero 5 Black.

If you have your GoPro Hero 5 Black powered on and you plug in an external USB power bank to charge the Hero 5, a little lightning bolt icon appears over the battery. However, once you press the record button, the charging icon disappears. This led many users to think that their GoPro was no longer being charged while they were recording. I can confirm that even though the charging icon has disappeared the GoPro is still drawing power from the power bank in addition slowly charging the internal battery. This method allows you to do long 8-hour night-lapses or more on your Hero 5 Black.

Here is a video I created demonstrating the battery icon issue.