Can you take group selfies while social distancing?

Group selfies can be difficult even when everyone can get within six feet of each other, so imagine how difficult they are now with social distancing measures. But a new patent from Apple, if it goes to production, could make that easier. 

Here’s how it would work: when a user of an Apple device takes a selfie, they will then have the option to invite friends to add themselves to the image. They could submit still photos, video images or live streaming images. The technology will then place the person in each submitted photo onto the original person’s selfie. The technology would also allow any of the participants to alter their placement within the image.

According to The Verge, the patent was first filed back in 2018 but was granted last week on June 2. This doesn’t mean that Apple will actually develop this technology — rather, securing the patent could just be a way to make sure that no competitors make this product instead.