Ask HN: iPhone Camera on indicator

2 points·zahirbmirza··7 comments

No Apps open. Face ID is off. Why does my green 'Camera on' indicator on the iPhone come on? It particularly happens when unlocking the phone. Could it be camera is turned on before the phone detects that FaceID is off? Or something more nefarious? I would really like to know if an image is being captured or analysed and by what app/process. Note again, face Id is off and no apps open.

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No guarantees—I’m no expert: Turning off Face ID doesn't mean turning off the camera. Under "Camera," you should be able to see which app used it last. Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Attention > Attention Aware Features and Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Require Attention for Face ID. Turn it off and restart.

No this is irrelevant -- he's just turning on the selfie camera by briefly swiping sideways. It's completely harmless.

So interesting that it is activated so instantly. I am going to test this.

It would be pretty bad if it didn't activate immediately. This actually gives me more confidence in iOS. Any time the camera is accessed, even if for one frame, the light turns on and stays on even after you're done.

This is an excellent point.

You accidentally briefly swipe left while unlocking, causing it to flash the camera, which causes the camera indicator to stay on for a while. You can reproduce it by locking your phone, touching the screen once, then swiping a centimeter left then back.

This is most likely the reason. I will put it to the test. Thank you.

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