Apple sued over Continuity Camera as developer alleges copycat behaviour and antitrust violations

Apple is facing a new lawsuit from Reincubate, the developer behind camera apps Camo and Camo Studio, over allegations that the company copied third-party technology when it introduced its Continuity Camera feature, according to a Moneycontrol report.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple replicated Camo’s core functionality and later used its control over the macOS and iOS ecosystem to disadvantage rival applications once its own first-party solution was ready. Reincubate claims Apple leveraged system-level privileges to limit competition after launching Continuity Camera.

Camo was launched in 2020 as a tool that allowed users to turn an iPhone into a high-quality webcam for the Mac, addressing what developers saw as a gap in Apple’s hardware ecosystem. The app gained popularity among professionals and streamers, with Reincubate continuing to refine the product through regular updates. The company later expanded its offerings with tools such as Camo Studio and Streamlight, building a portfolio focused on camera and video workflows.

In 2022, Apple introduced Continuity Camera, a built-in feature that enables users to wirelessly use an iPhone as a webcam for a Mac. The similarities between Continuity Camera and Camo were widely noted within the developer community and technology media, as both relied on the iPhone’s camera hardware, offered deep macOS integration and positioned the phone as an extension of the desktop experience.

In a blog post, Reincubate founder Aidan Fitzpatrick stated that Apple initially showed strong interest in Camo. He informed that Apple employees used the app while it was still in beta, encouraged the company to invest further in development and nominated it for an innovation award. Fitzpatrick claimed that thousands of Apple employees ran Camo internally, creating the impression that the product was supported within the company.

According to Fitzpatrick, that relationship changed after Apple developed a first-party alternative that could be deployed at scale. He stated that Apple absorbed ideas associated with Camo and distributed them across its product lineup, while simultaneously restricting the ability of third-party developers to deliver comparable experiences. Fitzpatrick informed that during WWDC 2022, he saw features he associated with Camo demonstrated on stage as Continuity Camera by Apple employees who had previously said they relied on Camo in their daily work.

The lawsuit also raises antitrust concerns, alleging that Apple undermines competing apps through the way Continuity Camera is implemented at the system level. Reincubate stated that Apple’s Continuity framework prevents Camo from offering low-latency wireless performance, which it described as essential for a webcam replacement. It also alleged that Continuity Camera can automatically launch and interrupt Camo when an iPhone is positioned for use, suspending the app and blocking its connection in ways the company cannot technically bypass.

The legal filing, submitted in the District of New Jersey, includes claims under Section 2 of the Sherman Act as well as allegations of willful patent infringement. The case raises broader questions about the ability of independent developers to innovate within Apple’s ecosystem without successful ideas being absorbed by the platform owner and restricted through system-level advantages.