Zoom has been one of the most popular platforms used by millions of people during the pandemic. And now it has gained access to a special iPadOS API that allows it to use the iPad camera while the app is used in Split View multitasking mode.
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This case of special treatment was first pointed out by app developer Jeremy Provost, who in a post explains that Zoom uses a special API that allows the app to continue to use and access the iPad camera while it is being used in Split View mode.
Zoom can do this thanks to a “permission,” which gives developers the ability to perform a specific feature with an API. As Provost notes, Apple publicly documents the ability for developers to apply for many different permissions, such as those related to CarPlay, HomeKit, and more. However, the specific API it has given Zoom is not offered to other developers by Apple, nor is its existence acknowledged by the company itself.
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On Zoom's developer forum, a staff member for the video conferencing platform confirmed earlier in February that Zoom has access to "com.apple.developer.avfoundation.multitasking-camera-access" or iPad Camera Multitasking.
For obvious reasons, this capability is useful when users may want to report and use a separate app during a video conference call. Without this special API, if a user puts a video conference app into Split view mode, the video call will be dark, as the app cannot access the iPad camera when multitasking.
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The new revelation comes at a difficult time for the Cupertino tech giant, which is currently embroiled in a legal battle with gaming company Epic Games, which accuses it of unfair and anti-competitive control over the App Store and app distribution on iOS.
The lawsuit between the two titans began on May 3, and since then, evidence, including emails between Apple, has revealed that Apple had previously given some developers, such as Hulu, access to APIs that were not available to other developers. Apple continues to pledge that it treats all developers the same and offers everyone a “level playing field.”
