Standby mode privacy concerns

[saltxd]

Hey guys,

It just occurred to me that if you’re in standby mode with motion to wake the camera is always on pointing at you. In theory anyone could be watching you sleep whereas in the past the camera would be pointing at the ceiling/table

Am I just being paranoid or is the privacy actually a concern for anyone?

 

[chabig]

I think you're being paranoid. Assuming you've been an iPhone user for a while, have you previously been concerned that someone could be listening to you through the microphone?

 

[NickyValentine]

I agree. It’s a tad paranoid. At this point you have to assume you’re being listened to etc. I know people that still cover their camera on laptops. I don’t but to each their own

 

[saltxd]

I think you're being paranoid. Assuming you've been an iPhone user for a while, have you previously been concerned that someone could be listening to you through the microphone?

Yeah I’ve had an iPhone since the 4s I guess it’s just different having just voice vs video too

 

[NoGood@Usernames]

Standby mode uses the proximity sensor, not the camera, to sense motion the same way the Apple Watch bedside mode works. So nothing to worry about in that regard.

 

[gwhizkids]

By this logic, you might be concerned whenever you have the phone on a MagSafe charger. Surely, anyone who could hack the camera wouldn't need to rely on Standby Mode to be on. They could just surreptitiously activate the camera whenever.

This is not a zero percent concern: there are a lot of bad actors out there who'd like to do that. So far, they've been unsuccessful (as far as I know).

But I don't think the risk is any greater in Standby mode than in general.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Hey guys,

It just occurred to me that if you’re in standby mode with motion to wake the camera is always on pointing at you. In theory anyone could be watching you sleep whereas in the past the camera would be pointing at the ceiling/table

Am I just being paranoid or is the privacy actually a concern for anyone?

Seems pretty paranoid to me...

 

[saltxd]

Standby mode uses the proximity sensor, not the camera, to sense motion the same way the Apple Watch bedside mode works. So nothing to worry about in that regard.

Are you sure it’s not the camera?

 

[contacos]

FaceID also constantly senses motions / your eyes to keep it awake in use (unless you turn it off)

 

[NoGood@Usernames]

From my experience, it seems to work the same way as the nightstand mode in Apple Watch which (obviously) doesn’t have a camera. I believe it’s using the internal gyroscopes, proximity sensor and (possibly) the FaceID sensor but not the camera. These sensors work reliably in the dark vs the camera which wouldn’t work well in pitch black conditions and would require a lot more energy and processing power to do so.

Combined with Apple’s privacy focus, I find it very unlikely the camera is used in any capacity for Standby mode.