Hi Apple team,
I’m developing Awaira, an iPhone app that runs real-time, on-device camera detection during a user-initiated support session. Its purpose is to help users notice hand-to-hair behavior. The user explicitly starts and stops the session; the camera indicator remains visible; camera frames are processed on-device; and the app does not record or transmit video.
A common user request is to continue the session while using another app. On Android, this can be implemented with visible foreground-service behavior. On iOS, the capture session stops when Awaira is no longer foreground.
I found AVCaptureSession.isMultitaskingCameraAccessSupported and isMultitaskingCameraAccessEnabled. The documentation says iOS 18 apps using UIBackgroundModes = voip may support multitasking camera access, and Apple’s PiP documentation discusses video-call apps.
We do not provide a genuine person-to-person VoIP or video-calling service, and we do not want to misuse the VoIP background mode or create a fake call solely to keep camera detection active.
Could Apple clarify:
- Is there any App-Review-approved API or entitlement for this kind of explicit, visible, user-initiated on-device camera session to continue while another app is foreground?
- Is declaring voip and using the multitasking-camera API permitted only for genuine VoIP/video-call apps?
- If no current approved path exists, is there a recommended design pattern for this accessibility/health-oriented use case?
We will only ship an implementation that complies with the intended purpose of Apple’s APIs and App Review Guidelines.
Thank you.