Subj : Windows 11 24H2 update is set to make a webcam change to allow mu To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Wed Aug 21 2024 11:45:04 Windows 11 24H2 update is set to make a webcam change to allow multiple apps to use the camera simultaneously Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:38:21 +0000 Description: Windows 11 users: Did you know that only one app can use your webcam at any given time? But not for much longer FULL STORY ====================================================================== Windows 11 is getting a new ability with the 24H2 update which means that more than just one app will be able to access the webcam without having to work around this with a fudge. Yes, if you werent aware, its currently the case for Windows 11 that the OS (and other Windows versions, for that matter) only allows one app access to the camera at any one time. As Windows Latest reports, currently the only way around this is that if theres a second app that needs to use the webcam at the same time as an initial app which has grabbed the hardware, you can use a virtual camera setup to do so. However, Windows 11 should be able to natively handle multiple apps tapping the webcam simultaneously with a new option in the 24H2 update, as leaker PhantomOfEarth highlighted with a post on X. Windows 11's Camera settings page will be getting an advanced camera configuration section, with two new options: multi-app camera and a basic mode for debugging. (disabled by default, Dev 26120.1542.) pic.twitter.com/XwIdByB2tG August 19, 2024 As you can see, the feature will be in the Camera settings, courtesy of an Advanced camera configuration panel thatll allow the user to enable multi-app camera, which allows multiple apps to simultaneously stream from the camera. Note that this ability is just in testing right now, and its hidden in the latest Windows 11 preview in the Dev channel, in fact. Hopefully, itll be live soon enough though, and can be tested and run through its paces before full release. (Image credit: Future) Analysis: A throwback of a limitation While multiple apps using the webcam may not be a common scenario for many Windows 11 users, its a useful ability that some folks want, and as Microsoft notes in the text for the feature, its designed for the hard-of-hearing community so this is yet another useful step forward on the accessibility front , too. (We arent sure what scenarios this might be leveraged in, but hopefully when the feature actually goes live in testing, Microsoft will explain in more detail what this does in the usual blog post announcing all the new bits and pieces). You might be wondering why Windows 11 (or previous versions of the OS) doesnt support multiple webcams anyway? It doesnt seem like a massive ask, after all. Well, seemingly this is a throwback to past times when hardware wasnt as beefy as it is today, and sharing the camera between numerous apps could cause system slowdown for lesser PCs. As Windows Latest observes, it seems Microsoft implemented a fundamental rule to prevent this one app at a time working with the webcam and just hasnt changed that in ages. Theres no reason for the restriction now, so its (finally) being lifted at least assuming this change progresses through Windows 11s testing channels and onto release (and we cant see why it wouldnt). There are other slight complications with multiple apps sharing the one webcam, such as image settings like brightness having different parameters demanded by the different apps using the camera. To get around this, Microsoft is having brightness and so forth controlled at a central point in Windows 11s settings, which overrides any app settings, and that of course fully makes sense. You might also like... How to get the best out of Accessibility features in Windows 11 Windows 11 is getting a voice-powered ability many users have been longing for Dont make these 5 big mistakes when using Windows 11 ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11-24h2-update-is-set-to-m ake-a-webcam-change-to-allow-multiple-apps-to-use-the-camera-simultaneously --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .