Flashlight would like access to your contacts
this post was submitted on 05 May 2024
325 points (100.0% liked)
196
16484 readers
2365 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
"Flashlight will only use necessary location data (for our highest possible profit)
Isn't it weird how long it took phone makers to catch onto the use-case of the camera flash being a flashlight?
I never understood what the fuck was up with that. Most older dumb phones had that feature and even if they deemed it unnecessary, the sheer amount of flashlight apps would prove them wrong
Older flash bulbs weren't really made for long uptime. If you were using your flashlight for under a minute looking for something it was fine but any longer than that and it would start getting really hot. Once manufacturers caught on that everyone was using apps for it (and potentially damaging their phone in the process due to heat) we got better bulbs and baked in controls for it.
Wouldn’t agree.
You could’ve recorded a 30 minute video with the flashlight on without any issues. They also wouldn’t allow API access to the flashlight hardware for those apps if it was damaging the phones.
Plastic Sony Ericssons and Nokias had flashlights circa 2005 and could shine day and night and every one of those phones had internal power control of the LED (it would shine brighter when taking a photo and be dimmer when used as a flashlight).
Meanwhile metal and glass iPhones with even better heat dissipation didn’t have flashlight as a system feature until iOS 7 in 2013.
I don't know about the heat aspect, but third party flashlight apps are just using the camera API without showing you a viewfinder or exposing shutter controls.
Even the built-in flashlight toggles on Android are still just creating a camera session and enabling the flash.
To block third party flashlight apps, manufacturers would have to block third party camera apps too, or add in some sort of global time limit for the flash.
That’s actually correct but I assumed they opened up the API afterwards. I used to notice it before because the optical image stabilization would kick in and you could hear the solenoids kick the lens around as you move the phone.
I vaguely remember them saying it wasn't advised because of overheating
Having to install an app to use your cameras flash as a flashlight. Wild times.
No wonder your battery is dead
If only running more flashlight apps made the flashlight brighter and brighter.
"I've used the entire capacity of my phone to simulate the light of the sun. Please be sure to wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen before I turn it on."
All that just to push the fleshlight app to the next page.
I miss skeuomorphism so bad
I’ve been expecting them to Lemmy have it back through Settings on macOS or iOS since like the 00s. I guess it’s not gonna happen. 😓
Each app made the light brighter and all of them turned the light into a laser.
I remember seeing similar photo but it was all some Indian flag apps
like 🇮🇳
or more like
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧
⬜️⬜️☸️⬜️⬜️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩