Why could your next smartphone have a camera that is always on?
You may use your front-facing camera on your phone for selfies or video calls, but once you turn the camera off, it’s off. Now, according to the Washington Post, a big chipmaker has revealed its latest processor includes a feature that would allow smartphone makers to keep front-facing cameras on all the time, watching for your face.
According to the report, this processor will be used in high-end android smartphones coming out in 2022.
So why would you want a camera on all the time?
The chipmaker, Qualcomm, says it is a security feature. A phone could potentially have a feature that allows it to automatically unlock as soon as it finds your face. Or it could detect another face next to yours, allowing your phone to hide notifications you might not want someone else to see.
The company says the camera will not take photographs or video without your permission. Also, none of the data picked up by the camera when it is looking for the face will leave the chip.
Right now, the features that would use this always-on camera do not exist yet. It will be up to the smartphone makers to develop those. But reportedly companies have already expressed interest in this feature.