Apple's latest iPhone update could fix perhaps the most awkward thing about video calls.
A new feature found in the latest version of iOS 13 is called "FaceTime Attention Correction". And it is intended to make you look like you are paying attention, even when you are not.
Usually, in FaceTime calls, it is difficult to maintain eye contact: users look at the screen to see the person they're speaking to, but the video is actually being taken from a point above the screen, giving the effect that people always appear that they're looking away. It can make talking in such calls somewhat awkward, since it is easy to feel that the person you are speaking with is not paying attention.
Now, Apple's iPhones will correct users attention and ensure that they're looking the right way. In a feature that appears to be using Apple's facial detection technologies, it moves people's view so that it looks like people are looking directly into the camera and at you – even though they're not.
The feature arrived in Apple's latest update to the developer beta version of iOS 13. That new iPhone update was shown off last month and won't arrive fully until September – but developers can get early access to it throughout the summer to ensure that their apps are fully updated.
The public can also try out the new features through Apple's beta programme. It's likely that this update will come to those users over the next week or so.
It's still not clear what kind of technology is being harnessed to change people's eyes and make sure they are paying attention. But it appears to be convincing, according to pictures shared by its early users.
For now, the feature is limited to iPhones with the latest processors. That means that it will only appear on the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max – and for other users, the option will simply not appear.
