LiDAR Camera: frequently asked questions

No, and that's worth knowing upfront rather than finding out in a dark room. A phone has no image intensifier or thermal sensor an app can use. What a Pro model does have is a LiDAR Scanner, and its depth view is built from that sensor's own invisible laser, so it shows shapes and distance in the dark, colour scale running to about 5 m. Face ID iPhones without LiDAR get a front depth view that does the same at arm's length, up to 2 m. Every other view just brightens the regular camera, which still needs some light to work with.

The iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models, and iPad Pro models with a LiDAR Scanner. On those you get the LiDAR mode and a Normal / LiDAR switch in the app. Face ID devices without LiDAR get the front TrueDepth Night Vision view, and the brightening looks run on any iPhone or iPad with iOS 15 or later.

Yes, but only the depth views: LiDAR mode on the back and the front TrueDepth view. They measure distance with their own infrared light, so they look the same with the lights off. Normal mode cannot show what no light reaches; use the flashlight there.

Yes, with the look applied while you record and with sound. Recording only works in Normal mode, with the regular camera; if you tap VIDEO in LiDAR mode the app switches to the back camera for you. Clips are free, have no watermark and do not count toward the daily photo limit.

The camera, the depth views, recording and saving all work offline. The free version uses the internet to load ads and the ad-consent form, and purchases need a connection to the App Store. Without a connection the camera keeps working.

The free version does: a banner on the Settings screen and in the photo preview, plus an optional video ad you can watch when the daily photo limit runs out. Ads also appear during the 7-day PRO preview. Only buying PRO, as a subscription or lifetime purchase, removes them.

All camera modes your device supports, 8 of the 12 looks including Depth Map, unlimited video, the Controls sliders, zoom, flashlight and the Capture Log. Photos are capped at 15 a day, and Save, Copy and Share work twice in total, at half width and height with a watermark.

A Daily Limit Reached message appears. You can wait for the counter to reset at local midnight, or tap Watch Ad (+5) to get 5 more shots. PRO has no daily limit.

Free exports are scaled to half the width and half the height, a quarter of the pixels, with a small watermark in the corner. A 1440 x 1920 capture, for example, is saved at 720 x 960. PRO saves at full resolution and lets you replace or remove the watermark.

No. It is a colour style. In Normal mode bright areas look hot; in LiDAR or TrueDepth mode close objects look hot. It cannot sense heat, show temperatures or find people or animals by their warmth.

No. Infrared is a red-orange colour look. The phone's regular camera filters most infrared out before the picture reaches any app.

It is the depth ARKit reports for the centre of the frame, shown to one decimal of a metre. That is enough to tell 1 m from 3 m in the dark, not to replace a laser measure. Shiny, black or far surfaces can show -- or a jumpy value. The readout is a PRO feature.

No. The LiDAR and TrueDepth depth views take photos only. When you pick VIDEO, the app moves to the regular camera and shows Switched to back camera for video.

To note where each photo was taken in the Capture Log, which lives only on your device. You can refuse; every other feature keeps working.

Only to record sound into videos. Photos never use the microphone.

It costs nothing, and nothing gets charged when it ends; the app shows you the date. It opens up the PRO features, but not ad removal, which only comes with a purchase.

Into the Photos app, when you tap Save. There is no gallery inside the app; the Capture Log only keeps a small thumbnail and details of each photo, and you can clear it with Clear Log?.

Yes. It is one app for iPhone and iPad, and on iPad it works in every orientation. iPad Pro models with a LiDAR Scanner get the LiDAR mode.