(Mashable) Apple is putting the LiDAR sensor on its iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max to good use.
In the latest public beta of its mobile platform, iOS 14.2, the company introduced a new Accessibility feature called People Detection. It’s a part of the iPhone’s Magnifier tool, which can be turned on under Settings – Accessibility – Magnifier, after which it shows up as a new app in the phone’s App Gallery. The People Detection feature, which is activated by tapping on the rightmost icon in Magnifier’s UI, uses LiDAR and the phone’s camera to detect people in the camera’s field of view.
The feature is primarily meant as aid for the visually impaired, giving them a way to assess whether people are nearby, as well as notify them when they move closer. When it detects movement, it can provide feedback in four different ways: