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Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

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Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#21

Post by mariopt »

natch wrote: post #15
mariopt wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, https://youtu.be/jTm4fjx_eZ0?t=532 this is done with React Native. I don't think nothing prevents you from rendering the camera UI preview component with an opacity of 0.0 I guess the main problem that no smartphone manufacturer wants to address is: People who take photos without permission to other people. It would be reasonable to enforce a law on all manufactures to add visible LED when the phone camera is be…

Um no, the whole point of that code is to show a preview on the screen. The comment you replied to is asking about the opposite, whether it's possible to hide the fact that the camera is being used.

You're right, I'll find another example and update the answer.

I believe this is possible, in React Native you can access the camera and programmatically set the preview component size. As far as I know, there is nothing preventing you from using the camera to a preview component that is not visible on the screen.

If Whatapps can do this: https://cdn.howtoisolve.com//wp-content/uploads/2016/12/How-...

It means you can control the camera preview UI component.

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#22

Post by carlesfe »

lumberingjack wrote: post #13

I just want a phone that has a manual physical toggle button that kills the power to the cameras if any apps need the camera they can just notify me to please toggle that switch. One of the nightly build that I put on my note 8 turns on the edge screen notification flash when the cameras are on every once in awhile I see that thing on no reason.

> that kills the power to the cameras

And the microphones, please :)

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#23

Post by close04 »

lumberingjack wrote: post #13

I just want a phone that has a manual physical toggle button that kills the power to the cameras if any apps need the camera they can just notify me to please toggle that switch. One of the nightly build that I put on my note 8 turns on the edge screen notification flash when the cameras are on every once in awhile I see that thing on no reason.

> every once in awhile I see that thing on no reason

Being a nightly build could be a very plausible reason for this.

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#24

Post by seltzered_ »

wincy wrote: post #11

I remember reading that the Japanese iOS makes a loud shutter noise when you take a picture that can’t be silenced. It’s actually apparently a Japanese law. https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-turn-the-camera-shutter-sound...

I believe this was also a feature on us versions of iOS years ago. Some developers worked around it in “stealth camera” apps by playing the inverse of the camera shutter soundwave to silence it.

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#25

Post by vatys »

carlesfe wrote: post #22
lumberingjack wrote: post #13

I just want a phone that has a manual physical toggle button that kills the power to the cameras if any apps need the camera they can just notify me to please toggle that switch. One of the nightly build that I put on my note 8 turns on the edge screen notification flash when the cameras are on every once in awhile I see that thing on no reason.

> that kills the power to the cameras And the microphones, please :)

Apple seems to be taking steps in that direction

https://www.apple.com/mac/docs/Apple_T2_Security_Chip_Overvi...

All Mac notebooks with the Apple T2 Security Chip feature a hardware disconnect that ensures the microphone is disabled whenever the lid is closed. On 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers with the T2 chip, this disconnect is implemented in hardware alone, and prevents any software—even with root or kernel privileges in macOS, and even the software on the T2 chip—from engaging the microphone when the lid is closed. (The camera is not disconnected in hardware because its field of view is completely obstructed with the lid closed.)

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#26

Post by greynote »

nsx147 wrote: post #2

If the camera is on it has to be shown on the screen right?

It doesn't.

Our app, Greypad, is a PDF reader that uses the front-facing camera to detect when other people are looking at your device and then blurs the contents of your screen upon detection.

All apps, however, must first explicitly request permission from the user in order to access the camera(s).

Greypad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/greypad/id1450783054

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#28

Post by amenod »

iscrewyou wrote: post #4

I’ve wondered this too. But maybe ux is more important in this case than privacy. There’s a red or blue bar that shows up when mic or location or hotspot is on. I’d hate to see that when my full screen camera app opens. But I do value privacy. So another solution would be what Mac has implemented. A led shows up whenever the camera is on. But I’ve seen reports and articles where it’s possible to fire the Mac camera a…

> But I’ve seen reports and articles where it’s possible to fire the Mac camera and shut it off quickly before the LED has time to kick on.

It should be trivial to delay LED's 'off' if it happens too soon after the 'on' signal.

There are many possible solutions if designers actually care about users' privacy.

Re: Ask HN: Why is there no activity indicator when an iPhone's camera is on?

#30

Post by lalos »

s15624 wrote: post #5

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avcap... The camera cannot be accessed without displaying it on the screen.

That API says that the camera cannot be accessed when the app is not active (in the background). Like when you receive a call, etc.
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