This is what the black dot on your iPhone camera is and what it actually does

You may have noticed there’s a black dot on your iPhone camera and never known what it was – here’s what you need to know.

On iPhone Pro models – from iPhone 12 Pro and beyond – there’s a black dot inside the camera module.

At first glance, it’d be easy to miss it, as it’s surrounded by at least three other cameras.

But this dot isn’t a mere design quirk, it actually plays an important role.

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What is the black dot on your iPhone camera?

This dot is a LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging – sensor, which uses infrared light pulses to measure distances to objects around your iPhone.

Rapid pulses of light are emitted, and then the LiDAR measures how long it takes for them to be reflected back, giving your phone a depth map of its surroundings.

This isn’t something that you have control over, as there’s no app or setting button to switch it off – which isn’t the case with this little-known setting that could leave you exposed to hackers.

So, if that’s what the sensor does, what are its uses as far as your iPhone goes?

Well, it’s helpful in terms of photography, as it enables the camera to focus faster and improves depth data for portraits.

Apps that use an augmented reality – think Pokémon Go or IKEA Place – rely on LiDAR to more accurately interact with virtual objects in real time.

Anyone who’s tried to virtually measure their room to fit a bed will know how handy that is.

For users with visual impairments, LiDAR is handy for person detection in the Magnifier.

So, sure, it’s not exactly an essential service for everyone, but it’s nice to have.

While iPhones that come without the LiDar dot can still perform the tasks listed above, they often do so less quickly and with less depth precision.

We’ve learned a lot about our smartphones in recent years

Smartphones have been ubiquitous for the last few years, but there’s still so much about them that we don’t know.

A lot of information has come out to us over the years, though, often from the phone manufacturers.

For example, Apple issued a warning about swiping apps closed on iPhones – a practice widely thought to be good for a phone’s battery life.

Back in 2023, the company issued some urgent advice after the iOS 17.2.1 update, in order to fix ‘important bugs’ and prevent battery drain.

The tech giant has also been doing its fair share of myth debunking along the way, too.

Isn’t it funny how there’s still so much to learn about a device we use every day?

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