I cannot get get my cam to record unless the app is open and running on my phone
Are you recording by pressing the “Record” button on the live stream view? If so, then what you are experiencing is normal. When you press record, the app captures the live stream or the SD card playback to your local phone album. It only works while the app is open in the foreground.
To record to an installed microSD card for later playback, you need tap the gear icon, then Advanced Settings, then Local Storage. Turn on the switch and choose Record Events Only or Continuous Recording. Video will then record to the installed microSD card even if the phone is off. To play back the recording, tap the View Playback button from the live stream.
To record 12 second clips to the cloud at most every five minutes, again tap the gear icon, then Alert Settings and enable Motion, Sound, Smoke or CO detection. You can view the cloud clips in the Notifications section of the app.