Color OS gains a nifty new feature to detect spy cameras in a room (Updated)

Update: March 10, 2022 (12 AM ET): As promised, we checked for the new Hidden Camera Detection app on our OPPO Find X5 Pro review unit. Unfortunately, it seems the app isn’t available globally just yet. So for now, the feature is limited to the Chinese variants of the Find X5 phones.

Original article: March 7, 2022 (11:13 PM IST): OPPO’s Color OS skin is gaining a useful new feature to detect hidden cameras. It’s aimed at frequent travelers who might want to check for concealed cameras in their hotel rooms. However, it could also be useful to check for cameras in changing rooms, spas, and other places where your privacy may be at risk.

How does it work?

For now, the hidden camera feature is only available for the OPPO Find X5 and Find X5 Pro. You’ll also need Color OS 12.1 for it to work, but you don’t have to worry about that since the new flagships come with the latest software out of the box. OPPO says it will roll out the feature for other devices in the near future.

Meanwhile, Find X5 series users will have to download the Hidden Camera Detection app from the OPPO App Market. Once installed, the app will ask users to turn off their phone’s Wi-Fi and hotspot before scanning for hidden cameras. The app will also prompt users to switch the room lights off and on, possibly to detect infrared light, something many Wi-Fi cameras use for night vision.

Once a spy camera is detected, the app will instruct users to play hot and cold to find the hidden device. The app will signal when the phone is close enough to the secret camera. Users can then simply look around in the narrowed area to find the device.

It seems OPPO’s Hidden Camera Detection app is a China-only release for now. We’ll check the global Find X5 Pro unit with us and update this article if the app is available on it.