I'm using an iPhone 15 Pro, which has switched from Lightning to USB Type-C. My iOS version is 18.3. According to Apple's documentation, AVCaptureDevice.DeviceType should support external device types.
🔗 Apple's Official Documentation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avcapturedevice/devicetype-swift.struct/external
The documentation clearly states that iPadOS 17.0+ and iOS 17.0+ support external devices. However, in my actual tests:
On iPhone, discoverySession does not detect any external devices. On iPad, discoverySession can detect external devices without any issues.
My Question: Does iPhone USB-C actually support external devices (e.g., UVC cameras)? If not, why does Apple's documentation claim that iOS 17 supports external devices instead of specifying iPadOS 17 only?
Hello @shih,
If not, why does Apple's documentation claim that iOS 17 supports external devices instead of specifying iPadOS 17 only?
The platforms list on documentation pages is only in reference to the symbol availability. It is true that the "external" property is an available symbol on iOS 17.0+, but that doesn't mean that every device running iOS 17.0+ supports external capture devices.
You are right to use a DiscoverySession to discover available external devices, and it is expected that iPhone 15 Pro does not support external cameras.
This video is plainly states: only iPad supports external cameras.
-- Greg
