#iPhone 12 Pro uses LiDAR to detect people near you

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: 

• Voice readout of the distance of the person nearest to the user (both feet and meters are supported)

• Tone beep that changes pitch when a person gets within a certain distance threshold, such as three meters

• Haptic feedback

• Visual readout on the screen

True to its name, the feature only works for people; it will not, for example, detect animals or objects moving toward the user. When detecting movement of a group of people, it will only provide feedback on the person nearest to you. It works at distances of up to five meters. 

Image: stan schroeder/Mashable

I tested the new feature using an iPhone 12 Pro and the latest public beta version of iOS 14.2. It was precise in detecting distances, and it very rarely mistook anything for a person (most borderline situations happened when an object was partially outside of the camera’s view). The audio readout of the distance seemed the most useful, especially when combined with earbuds. 

LiDAR (short for light detection and ranging) is a method of measuring distances by bathing objects in laser light and measuring their reflection. Apple’s new phones, as well as new iPad Pro devices, have the LIDAR sensor on the back. Prior to iOS 12.4, it was mainly used in the camera portrait mode, in Apple’s measuring tool, and in augmented reality apps.  

Image: stan schroeder/Mashable

People Detection will work on any Apple device equipped with LiDAR, including the iPad Pro, as well as the upcoming iPhone 12 Pro Max. It doesn’t work with earlier iPhone models, or the iPhone 12/iPhone 12 mini, as those phones do not have the LiDAR sensor. 

While the People Detection feature can be useful to the visual impaired in many situations, it’s doubly important due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With social distancing measures being paramount to not getting infected, this feature could help users maintain a distance from others or at least get notified when someone gets too close. 

The feature is currently live in the iOS 14.2 public beta, but should become widely available in the weeks ahead.