Apple wants to make it easier to record, broadcast, replay video games and other apps

Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11632591 B2) for “recording and broadcasting application visual output.” The goal is tome it easier to share the broadcasting and replaying of video games and other apps.

About the patent

In the patent application, Apple notes that broadcasting and replaying of video games and other live output of applications is a growing form of entertainment. Numerous websites support ecosystems for video game players to post previously recorded outputs of video games or to broadcast the output of a video game live. The popularity of these websites have only increased with the rise of e-sports leagues that hold competitions and tournaments for various applications.

However, Apple notes that some techniques for sharing application visual output using electronic devices “are generally cumbersome and inefficient.” For example, some existing techniques use a complex and time-consuming user interface, which may include multiple key presses or keystrokes. 

Apple’s patent involves techniques for providing electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for sharing application visual output. Such methods and interfaces could complement or replace other methods for sharing application visual output. 

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s (very technical) abstract of the patent: “The present disclosure generally relates to sharing application visual output. An example process includes: displaying a first affordance, where the first affordance corresponds to a broadcast application capable of broadcasting data corresponding to a visual output of an application; in response to detecting a first set of one or more user inputs, where the first set of one or more user inputs includes selection of the first affordance: in accordance with a determination that a first user is logged into an account associated with the broadcast application, sending data corresponding to the visual output of the application to the broadcast application for transmitting the data corresponding to the visual output over the communication interface to a remote server; and in accordance with a determination that the first user is not logged into the account associated with the broadcast application, displaying a login window of the broadcast application.”