Your iPhone Can Soon Double Up As A Webcam

Apple Inc AAPL is tightening up the ecosystem by allowing iPhone users to use the camera on the smartphone as a webcam for their Mac computers. 

What Happened: Apple showcased the new Continuity Camera feature at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. It will be available as a part of the macOS Ventura update.

Craig Federighi demonstrated the feature at WWDC. The Verge tweeted an excerpt from WWDC that contained the demonstration. 

Apple will let you use your iPhone as a webcam with continuity #WWDC22 pic.twitter.com/pzGzfdcm06

— The Verge (@verge) June 6, 2022

Federighi attached a stand to his iPhone and affixed it to the display of his Mac. By launching Facetime, the computer automatically detects the iPhone as a webcam.

The senior vice president of software engineering at Apple made a phone call to a colleague to showcase features such as Center Stage and Portrait Mode. 

A new feature that users can turn to is Studio Light, which brightens the face while darkening the background.

A novelty in the demonstration was Desk View, which gives the viewing party an eagle’s eye view of the user’s desk using the iPhone's wide-angle camera.

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Why It Matters: Apple is working with Belkin on stands that will be released later in 2022, reported The Verge. 

Apple’s Studio Display webcams have attracted a barrage of criticism from owners who say they are poor in relation to other devices made by the Tim Cook-led company, according to a 9to5 Mac report.

Comparing the 15.5 (1st pic) and 15.4 (2nd pic) firmware for the Studio Display camera. There's a _lot_ less noise, and a touch more contrast, but it's still quite washed out compared to the iMac Pro camera (3rd pic, taken last month). pic.twitter.com/xvaYNgnB4q

— James Thomson (@jamesthomson) April 26, 2022

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant released an update in April to address the webcam issues, although 9to5 Mac reported it failed to improve the image quality.

Journalist Mark Gurman called the new Continuity Camera feature a “real fix for the broken web cam on the Studio Display.”

Apple has finally released a real fix for the broken web cam on the Studio Display pic.twitter.com/lA1vvSLCsq

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 7, 2022

Price Action: On Monday, Apple shares closed 0.5% higher at $146.14 in the regular session and rose 0.25% in the after-hours session, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 

Read Next: Apple WWDC 2022: 8 New iOS 16 Features For The iPhone

Photo courtesy: Apple