The New iPhones Have A Problem, Apple Admits

A feature of the new range of iPhones sparks debate.

Apple just released what is arguably one of its most impressive tech lineups since the very invention of the iPhone/iPad family, and according to numerous industry experts, the hype is completely justified.

New enhancements to both the iPhones and the Apple Watch make it a literal game changer in communication, health, fitness, connectivity, and total productivity. (Seriously, the new Apple Watch can literally do an instant EEG at the touch of the screen and detect that the wearer has fallen and may be unconscious, then send help. Really.)

Of course, there was bound to be a flaw or two, and some intrepid tech minds found it. Thankfully, Apple has ‘fessed up to the issue and is issuing a fix in the near future, we hope.

In this case, though, Apple has a vested interest in making you really, really happy with your iPhone, namely in how your photos look. Sounds reasonable, right? Everyone wants their pictures to look great.

But what about your selfies?

Different sources have reported that the new iPhones have some sort of “beauty mode” activated in the front-facing camera, basically sandblasting all your selfies’ fine lines, wrinkles, and blemishes. But worse than the default attempt to make you more pleasing to the eye is the fact that this setting seems to be permanent, with no option to toggle it on or off.

“BeautyGate,” as it was called on platforms like Reddit, was just another radio-silence fact for Apple until they recently admitted there were some minor bugs to be fixed in the next software update. This has been confirmed by a report on the line of phones by The Verge, which stated that the front-facing camera and its automatic effort to smooth out skin tones in selfies would be addressed.

What does this say about Apple’s technology?

Interestingly, a YouTuber who breaks down a number of tech issues pointed out in this video review of the flaw that holding something in front of your face (in his case, his hand) resulted in a more naturally-lighted image, but removing that object and presenting your face almost immediately reverted to the “prettier” picture. That speaks volumes about the development in Apple’s facial recognition efforts, too.