What is Apple DockKit? iPhone’s camera tracking technology explained
Whether you’re a keen content creator or just want a hands-free way to make video calls, Apple DockKit is a useful technology, but what actually is it and how does it work?
We’ve put together this guide to DockKit so you can learn more about how to use the technology yourself.
What is Apple DockKit?
In its simplest form, DockKit is an automated subject tracking technology, which Apple explains “allows the iPhone to act as the central computer for motorised camera stands”.
When an iPhone is paired with a DockKit-compatible motorised stand, the stand will extend the field of view of the iPhone camera by up to 360 degrees of pan and 90 degrees of tilt, by supporting a “Pitch and Yaw motion model” (which is essentially vertical and horizontal movement.)
This technology will allow the user to focus on their content without having to worry about staying within the frame, as the stand will do this for you.
How does DockKit work?
The DockKit system tracker “runs inside the camera processing pipeline” and analyses camera frames to decide which subject to track and how to keep it in frame.
Apple explains that “much like how a cinematographer observes real world events and adjusts the camera perspective, DockKit infers an object from camera frames and adjusts the motors through actuation commands to the dock.”
Utilising DockKit technology is easy too, as you simply need to pair your iPhone to a compatible, motorised stand and let it do the tracking for you as “all the magic happens in the application and system services on the iPhone itself”.
Which apps support DockKit?
As DockKit’s motor control and subject tracking is handled within iOS, any app that uses the iOS camera APIs can take advantage of DockKit.
Apple highlights that not only is this a great technology for video capture, live streaming and video conferencing, but it will also create “opportunities for better experiences and new features in apps” across fitness, enterprise, education, healthcare and more.
As this is relatively new technology, we expect to see more devices support DockKit soon. Most recently, the Insta 360 Flow Pro launched with DockKit compatibility.
