Question

I am adding camera using {[UIImagePickerController availableMediaTypesForSourceType:UIImagePickerControllerSourceTypeCamera]} as a subview to a UIView with fixed boundaries in my app.

Everything is working fine. But all the examples i see shows displaying camera as a modalcontroller as single screen. My doubt is, are there any cases that APPLE will reject if the camera is added as an subview to a view?. Should it be only shown as a full screen modal controller?

Answer 1

There is no rule that says you may not use camera view as a subview. It’s all down to the specifics of your requirements and your app. Apple probably won’t reject your app just because of such use of the camera view.

For example, Layar app is using camera view as a background for their overlays – clearly not a modal controller.

At the same time, consider the user’s experience. If you are providing your user with the ability to take a picture with the camera and then use this picture in further application logic, then using it as a modal controller may be a better approach, as it provides the user with a consistent experience across multiple apps: users do get used to certain experiences and you need to have a valid reason to go against those consistent experiences.

At the same time, if you do have a valid reason why you want to have camera view as a subview (for example, display an overlay layer over it or apply a filter to the preview, or whatever else), then this is a perfectly valid reason for your UI design decision.

So, to summarize, there’s no rule against it, but keep the user’s experience in mind. Also remember that Apple may choose to reject your app for any reason they choose – and they don’t have to explain it to you. At least, that’s what you’re agreeing to when you join the developer’s programme.