Tag: Continuity Camera

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Mobile Syrup

Continuity Camera is great, but here’s how it actually works

On day one of WWDC 2022, Apple showed off Continuity Camera, a feature with which macOS Ventura users would be able to prop their iPhone on top of their Mac, and use the smartphone’s camera for video calls. The feature was widely appreciated, though left many confused about how it would work, so on day two, Karen Xing, a Camera Software Team engineer at Apple, explained the feature in detail.

For starters, in addition to your mac running macOS Ventura, you need an iPhone that can run iOS 16, so those still using an iPhone older than the iPhone 8 won’t be able to use Continuity Camera. Additionally, both your Mac and iPhone need to be signed into the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication.

According to Xing, you simply “bring your iPhone close to your Mac, and it works wirelessly so you can quickly join a call. Your iPhone will appear on your Mac as an external camera and microphone.”

You can also use Continuity Camera by plugging in your iPhone to your Mac over a USB.

Xing demonstrated the feature on Zoom, and said that the app will initially launch with the built-in camera on your Mac, and will prompt you to switch to the iPhone camera, along with notes to let users know what all they can do with Continuity Camera, as seen in the screenshot below:

Xing went on the explain that you can prop up your iPhone in either landscape or portrait orientation, with the latter giving you a more zoomed-in field of view. Xing said, “Continuity Camera also lets you do things that were never before possible with a webcam, including several new video effects,” including the new Studio Light effect that illuminates the subject while darkening the background.

Accessing video effects is as simple as pulling down the Control Center and selecting the desired video effect.

All the video effects, including Center Stage (keeps you centred), Portrait (blurs your background) and Studio Light can be used together in combination.

Control Center is also where users would be able to access ‘Desk View,’ another new video effect introduced alongside the Continuity Camera. Desk View enables your iPhone’s ultra-wide-angle camera to display your desk, and you, kind of like an over-head camera setup combined with a regular one. The feature will be highly beneficial for remote teachers, and can also be used by the likes of Twitch streamers to display a handcam, provided that they are gaming on a Mac.

The feature will support a maximum frame rate of 60 frames per second (FPS) at a resolution of 1920 x 1440 pixels. The resolution will stay the same in Desk View mode,  though it will be limited to 30 frames per second.

macOS Ventura and iOS 16 developer betas are available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting now, while a wide rollout will take place later this fall.

For all of the Apple news from WWDC 2022, follow this link.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

The 5 most important announcements from WWDC 2022

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference featured a packed list of announcements that focused on anticipated features and updates. 

To help you recap, MobileSyrup has broken down some of the most important announcements in no particular order. 

Let’s get into it:

M2 chip

Apple’s next-generation M2 chip technology has a big focus on power efficiency. 

It has 20 billion transistors, features an 8-core CPU, and is built on 5nm architecture. Apple says the chip is 18 percent more powerful than its predecessor and features a graphics performance that’s 35 percent better.

More details are available here. 

MacBook Air 

The MacBook Air is one of the first devices to feature the M2 chip.

Image credit: Apple

The much-anticipated device has a 3.5mm headphone jack, two thunderbolt ports, and a MagSafe charger. The Liquid Retina display is also 25 percent brighter than its predecessor and measures 13.6-inches. It will be available in four colours: ‘Silver,’ ‘Space Grey,’ ‘Starlight’ and ‘Midnight.’ The new MacBook Air starts at $1,499 in Canada.

Read more about the MacBook Air’s refresh here. 

iOS 16

Apple’s latest mobile operating system will be available on the iPhone 8 and newer devices in the fall, and they’re a couple of things I’m excited about. 

The first is the lock screen. The new update will allow users to change the font, style, and colour of the clock. Pre-made lock screens, available through the Lock Screen gallery, also offer settings with widgets that users can edit. Weather conditions will also appear on the lock screen, and users can choose to add a rotating photo gallery. 

Speaking of photos, Apple has added a new iCloud Shared Photo Library to iOS 16. The feature allows users to share photo libraries through iCloud with up to six people. All members will be allowed to add, delete, and edit photos and videos.

For messages, users will be able to edit previously sent messages, undo them, and mark threads as unread. iOS will also feature ‘Dictation,’ allowing users to move between voice and touch when crafting a message. The keyboard will remain open while users speak. 

More details on iOS 16 are available here. 

Stage Manager

Apple didn’t reserve all of its newsworthy updates to iOS alone. macOS Ventura has a remarkable lineup of its own. One of the coolest features is ‘Stage Manager.’

Picture this: you’re deep into an important project, and you have dozens of windows open relating to one aspect of the project or another. “Organization” isn’t a term that applies in this case. 

Stage Manager changes this, organizing tabs and giving users quick access to the windows they need. As soon as you activate it, it arranges all windows to the side and puts the app you’re currently using front and center. 

Continuity Camera

Ever wanted to update the quality of a Mac’s webcam? Continuity Camera allows you to do so with the help of your iPhone.

Image credit: Apple

The new macOS Ventura feature will enable users to use their phone cameras as webcams through FaceTime and other video calling apps.

Learn more here. 

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Mobile Syrup

Use your iPhone’s camera for videocalls on your Mac with ‘Continuity Camera’

While talking about the new macOS Ventura at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC 2022), Apple also showed off a useful new feature that will upscale video calls on your Mac. No, it’s not software upscaling, and instead, it adds a new piece of camera hardware to your Mac.

‘Continuity Camera’ is a new feature that lets you prop your iPhone on top of your Mac and use the smartphone’s camera for video calls on the Mac. “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,” reads Apple’s press release about the new feature.

But a crisper video is not all the feature offers. With Continuity Camera, users would be able to use Center Stage, Portrait mode and a new “Studio Light” effect that illuminates the user, while darkening the background.

Apple plans to release a Belkin stand for users to mount their iPhones on top of their Macs to use Continuity Camera seamlessly, though the stand isn’t an integral part of the feature (it’s also unclear how muchit will cost). Of course, duct taping your phone to your mac to hold it in place should work just fine.

macOS Ventura’s developer beta is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting now, while a wide rollout will take place later this fall.

For all of the Apple news from WWDC 2022, follow this link.

Image credit: Apple 

Source: Apple