X

Apple patent blocks your iPhone from recording video at gigs

The patent uses infrared to tell your phone to disable video recording so you can be forced to enjoy the show.

Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Expertise Smartphones, Photography, iOS, Android, gaming, outdoor pursuits Credentials
  • Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
Andrew Lanxon
682.jpg

Apple's new patent...at a concert near you?

Apple/US Patent and Trademark Office

If you're sick of having your view of Adele obscured by a thousand iPhones trying to film her, things are looking up. Apple was awarded a US patent this week for a system that can force your iPhone into disabling video-recording functions at concert venues.

The system uses infrared signals to send messages to your phone to tell it to shut down video recording. Apple's patent illustration shows a phone at a concert with the words "recording disabled" on screen. I won't even go into the fact that it shows the person trying to record video in portrait orientation.

Various artists, including Adele, have been outspoken about fans filming their shows, with many claiming that it spoils the experience for other fans.

It's not known whether Apple plans to put the patent into use, and the company did not respond to a request for comment.

Watch this: Apple could stop your iPhone from taking photos or videos at concerts