Apple Earns Patent On Tech That Compiles Group Selfies

As the worldwide push to beat the coronavirus continues with social distancing measures almost everywhere, Apple has a new plan for software to allow for “socially distant group selfies,” CNN reports.

The tech giant filed a patent with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a new app that would allow multiple people to take selfies and combine them into one image, removing the backgrounds from all except one and arranging them in a convincing manner.

The tech was not originally a response to the pandemic — Apple filed for the patent in 2018, and it received that patent just days ago on June 2.

The idea is one among the many that have arisen during the pandemic to try and approximate features of normal everyday life into social distancing and quarantine modes. Shopping has seen a quick transition to digital solutions like Instacart, and apps like Uber Eats became the prime modes of revenue for many eateries during quarantine in March and April.

Several companies are looking into new digital-friendly options for shopping, including the just-announced Amazon AI technology to allow people to “try on” clothes through a digital app before buying them.

For watching movies, the trends have ranged from more online streaming to a return of an old trend with drive-in theaters, popular due to their potential for people to remain separate from one another while still getting to leave the house for entertainment.

Restaurants, as the country continues its reopening, are adopting a number of measures to ensure guest safety, including temperature checks, distancing between tables to keep people apart and servers and other employees wearing masks.

According to a recent PYMNTS report, guests in some states are starting to dine out more again, despite a slow restart as customers remained cautious about going out in public. To accommodate those customers still worried, restaurants will likely be seen using plexiglas, contactless payments and other such methods.