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Apple today announced a raft of new software updates including macOS Ventura, the Mac’s next big software update that will arrive later this year. It’ll include a new feature called Continuity Camera when it does, a feature that allows iPhones to be used as Mac webcams — something that might sound familiar.
That’s because being able to use an iPhone as a webcam is nothing new, apps including the popular and excellent Camo already make that a reality. A recent Camo update added support for FaceTime among other features and it’s an app I’ve covered here on iMore a few times before. But with macOS Ventura, did Apple just Sherlock it and other apps like it?
For the uninitiated, Apple ‘Sherlocks’ an app when it takes its main feature and rolls it into one of its own pieces of software, like macOS in this case, and it takes its name from an app called …. Sherlock.
Here’s how Apple describes Continuity Camera as of today:
Continuity Camera now gives Mac customers the ability to use their iPhone as a webcam, and unlocks new capabilities that were never possible before on a webcam. With the power of Continuity, Mac can automatically recognize and use the camera on iPhone when it is nearby — without the need to wake or select it — and iPhone can even connect to Mac wirelessly for greater flexibility.3 Continuity Camera delivers innovative features to all Mac computers including Center Stage, Portrait mode, and the new Studio Light — an effect that beautifully illuminates a user’s face while dimming the background. Plus, Continuity Camera taps into the Ultra Wide camera on iPhone to enable Desk View, which simultaneously shows the user’s face and an overhead view of their desk — great for creating DIY videos, showing off sketches over FaceTime, and so much more
That definitely sounds like something third-party apps already offer, although the addition of Desk View sounds pretty impressive and isn’t something I’ve seen done elsewhere.
Apple borrowing features from apps and turning them into parts of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS isn’t new of course and Camo and apps like it won’t be the last to have this happen to them. But as others have found out, being Sherlocked isn’t always the end of the world. Developers can build on what they already have and create new features and capabilities that go beyond what Apple offers via built-in offerings like Continuity Camera.
I’m sure that’s what Reincubate and other developers are already thinking about today. In fact, I know it is.
I’m sure Continuity Camera is cool, but it’s no Camo.
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