Apple To Kill iPhone Cameras At Live Events

Apple has won a patent for a new technology that uses an infrared signal — beamed from a concert, theater stage or movie screen — to shut down an iPhone’s camera, disabling it from taking photos or videos, according to The NY Post.

The technology under development may be a response to gripes from artists like Adele and Jack White, miffed that fans have used their phones to broadcast shows live to thousands of other, non-paying viewers.

Apple’s patent filing this week indicates that video functions would only be disabled by the infrared sensors if an iPhone is pointed toward their positions on the stage.

That way, users would still be able to snap photos and shoot videos of their friends in the crowd.

Apple also suggested that the infrared signals could be used in other scenarios to enhance what users see on their screens, providing extra information on artworks at museums or products at stores, for example.

The patent’s approval — as is the case with hundreds of other Apple patents— won’t necessarily mean a future rollout of the feature.