OnePlus 8 Pro’s “X-ray vision” feature will be temporarily disabled, company apologizes
The other day, it was discovered that the OnePlus 8 Pro had a camera feature that allowed the phone to peek into semi-solid objects. This mode was the Photochrom mode that used infrared sensors to create a cool and unique effect, but it was soon discovered that it had an unintended side-effect: X-ray vision.
We had wondered at that time if this was known to OnePlus or if it was just a happy coincidence, but it turns out it might have been the latter. This is because in a post made on Weibo, OnePlus has announced that they will be temporarily disabling the feature and have also apologized for any privacy concerns that might have been raised as a result of this.
For those wondering how the camera works, it uses infrared light which can pass through objects that normal light can’t. In some instances, especially with thinner pieces of plastic or opaque plastics, it can give the effect of X-ray vision. We stated that it doesn’t work with clothing, although some have found that very thin pieces of cloth are equally susceptible, which we imagine could have led to some raising some privacy concerns about the feature.
The company has stated that they will be reworking the feature to ensure that all these concerns are addressed before re-enabling it for users again, although we’re not sure when exactly that will happen.
Source: XDA Developers