If you're an iPhone user, chances are you've noticed a mysterious black circle on the back of the phone - and thought nothing more of it.
Unless you've searched the web to find out its purpose, you likely don't know what it's used for. And you're not alone in this.
Located on the back camera bump of recent iPhone models, this question has puzzled the iPhone community. Size-wise, it's also easy to miss as it's a fraction of the size of the camera lens.
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The query started getting attention when a curious Reddit user made a post asking what the black circle was on the back of their iPhone. A post which racked up over 1,400 upvotes - sparking curiosity amongst the iPhone community.
The mysterious black circle is in fact a LiDAR scanner.
LiDAR - which stands for Light Detection and Ranging - is designed to measure distances in its field of view. It does this by emitting pulsed lasers which reflect off objects in the iPhone camera's view.
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The time it takes of these reflections to return is measured, creating an accurate 3D map in front of the iPhone's lens.
You'll have seen the LiDAR scanner in action if you've ever used the iPhone's Measure app. The scanner cleverly uses its reflections to give accurate readings of objects in front of the camera.
This is why augmented reality (AR) apps work very well on the iPhone. If you've ever tried to place a T-Rex on your desk out of boredom, the LiDAR does this by determining measurements in front of the camera lens to reflect the augmented image.
These 3D objects are easier to create once all the measurements are known.
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The LiDAR scanner is also used to enhance the iPhone's camera functionality and features. In low-light situations, the scanner can track how close you are to the subject you're capturing. Doing this allows fast and effective use of the 'auto focus' feature.
Now, this black circle isn't apparent on all iPhone models. So if you're looking at the back of your iPhone now and don't spot this circle, it's because it doesn't have one.
The black circle is only found on the following models: iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It can also be found on some iPad Pro models.