Apple Granted New Patent For Socially Distant Group Selfies

Together apart. That's what we've been hearing since COVID-19 and social distancing began. With help from video chatting platforms, such as FaceTime, Zoom and Skype, we've been able to stay in touch with our loved ones as best we can the past few months. According to a new report from CNN, we'll soon be able to document our socially distant gatherings in a whole new way.

On June 2, Apple was granted a patent for software that will allow people to take group selfies while practicing social distancing. Not the 6 feet apart while outdoors version, either. You won't even have to be in the same location as your friends and family to snap a group selfie anymore. The patent is called "synthetic group selfies."

So, how will this software allow you take a selfie with your loved ones from various locations? The software will arrange each participant into one image before removing each individual background and placing them into the main user's photo. Voila! A synthetic, socially distant selfie is born.

While Apple has been granted the patent, it's unclear whether the tech giant will move forward with the software at this time. Apple initially filed for this patent back in 2018 and only just received it last week. We'll just have to wait and see if socially distant selfies become an option for Apple users in the future.

Photo: Getty