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Nothing says CMF Phone 1 update coming after unexpected 'see-through' camera discovery
- A video went viral after a user managed to access the CMF Phone 1’s depth camera and discovered that they could use it to see through certain objects.
- The co-founder of Nothing, Akis Evangelidis, has now responded to the video to explain what’s happening.
- Evangelidis says that they will restrict third-party apps from accessing the depth sensor’s output “within a week.”
The CMF Phone 1 just launched, and it has been getting a fair amount of praise for being a fun and affordable Android handset. Although it has only been days since it has been out, users have already discovered something a bit shocking about the device. It appears that the depth sensor can be used to see through certain objects.
To make CMF by Nothing’s first phone as affordable as it is, the company made some compromises. One of those compromises is the rear camera setup which includes a 50MP main camera and an undisclosed depth sensor instead of a proper secondary camera. CMF has made it so that this depth sensor can’t be accessed by normal means within the stock camera app. However, one crafty user managed to find a workaround to gain access to it.
By using a third-party app in developer mode, the user in question was able to access the depth sensor’s output. At first glance, it simply seemed to be a low-resolution monochrome camera, but things changed when they pointed the camera at the back of a TV remote. The depth sensor was somehow able to see the batteries in the remote despite the cover still being on.
After the video went viral, Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, went on X (formerly Twitter) to explain what’s happening here. According to Evangelidis, the depth sensor in their new handset doesn’t have an infrared light filter and this IR light can sometimes “reveal the internal structure of thin or semi-transparent objects.”
At Nothing, we have some of the most knowledgeable and crafty users in the world. It’s also fair to say that our popularity attracts a lot of scrutiny. Ultimately, this drives continuous improvement, benefiting users – so we see it as a good thing.In this case, while hundreds… https://t.co/fPxB8Xg0Vu— Akis Evangelidis (@AkisEvangelidis) July 13, 2024
While some see this as a pretty cool feature to have on a $200 phone, others see it as a privacy concern. Out of an abundance of caution, Evangelidis announced that they will restrict third-party apps from accessing this depth sensor’s output going forward. The adjustment is expected to be made “within a week” through a software update.
When asked why the company is deciding to restrict access, Evangelidis agreed it would be a cool feature to leave in. He then followed that up by saying, “Some people are trying to come as us from every angle my man. They aren’t comfortable with our success. Therefore, we’ve to play it safe.”
Those who have been around for a while would know that a similar scenario played out with the OnePlus 8 Pro. OnePlus eventually removed access to the sensor, and the functionality never made it back to the phone.
Update, July 15, 2024 (07:20 AM ET): A previous version of this article relied on the video quoted by Nothing’s co-founder, which was a reupload without credits. The article has been edited to credit the correct person who made this discovery.