San Francisco - In the social distancing times, this may come as a boon for selfie lovers as Apple has won a new patent that would allow users to take long-distance group selfies by staying away from each other.
According to the patent application, an Apple device user could invite others to take part in a group selfie and the software would arrange them together in a single image, reports The Verge.
The patent also describes a window that appears on a user's screen that prompts him or her to participate in a selfie.
The selfie could include still photos, stored video images, or live streaming images and one can also modify the group image by changing the positions of people in the selfie.
However, it is not clear whether the feature would be available on iPads, iPhones or both.
Apple first filed for the patent in 2018 and it has only been granted recently, said the report.
Apple files many patents and only some of its granted patents ever make it to the market, as well as patents don't always result in actual products or services.
Apple Inc plans to reopen about 100 U.S. stores, mostly with curbside pickup but some with walk-in service, the company said.
Apple shuttered stores worldwide as the novel coronavirus pandemic spread but has slowly opened them based on local health data. Earlier this month, the company reopened a handful of stores in Alaska, Idaho and Alabama.
Under Apple's new procedures, stores with walk-in service will require customers and employees to undergo temperature checks and wear masks before entering. Apple will provide masks to customers who have none. Social-distancing rules will limit the number of people in the store at one time, which Apple said could create delays for walk-in customers.
Apple plans to allow customers to handle display products, as before.