iOS 7 Beta 2, seeded yesterday, includes new APIs that will allow developers to detect distinct facial expressions such as blinking and smiling in photos. On Monday, at the WWDC Keynote, Apple’s senior vice president Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, announced that iOS 7 SDK will include more than 1500 new APIs for developers. That does seem massive.
For instance, Apple could add smart logic to delay taking pictures until people are smiling or after they have blinked. Some Android phones already offer “best shot” modes, which take several photos in quick succession and the software ‘intelligently’ selects the best one.
These new APIs indicate that these facial recognition features might make their way to the stock Camera app and third-party camera apps in the upcoming Apple devices. The stock Camera app has already been completely redesigned and includes features such as Instagram-like filters, ability to zoom with a pinch while taking videos, ability to redeem iTunes Gift card and more. Make sure to check out the features of iOS 7!
Additionally, iOS 7 has also been packed with APIs for bar code detection. This will actually allow developers to include bar code detection feature in their camera apps. The iOS 7 APIs for bar code detection include support for all the common bar code formats including European and UPC. There was a rumor that Apple might be moving components of iPhone 5s for a bar code reader.
It still is not certain if these APIs will help us seeing the facial recognition features in the current generation iOS devices or for the next generation devices. Though our wager is on their inclusion in future iOS devices since they are expected to be rolled out with some camera improvements. iPhone 5S is rumored to be launched with 12-megapixel camera, front facing cam and a dual-LED flash.
