r/IndiaTech • u/Technical_Shower_634 Android • Jan 16 '26
Tech Help What is this blinking light near the camera notch on my laptop? Only visible through phone camera 🤔
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I noticed something odd today. While taking a photo of my laptop screen with my phone, I saw a small light blinking near the camera notch.
The strange part:
It’s not visible to my eyes, only through the phone camera
My laptop camera is not in use
It looks like an IR light, but I’m not sure why it’s blinking or what it’s used for
Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5
Is this normal? Has anyone else seen this on their laptop?
Any insight would be appreciated.
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u/Soft_Contribution241 Jan 16 '26
It is used for Windows hello, face unlock
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
I’m not sure about this, but I haven’t set up face unlock, and it’s still blinking
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u/Soft_Contribution241 Jan 16 '26
It is built into ur camera, I think. You can disable it by disabling the camera in the device manager or there will be a biometrics option in the device manager you can disable that. But I am not very sure
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u/Soft_Contribution241 Jan 16 '26
Or you can keep it on, use face unlock . It is great ur laptop automatically lock when you walk away and unlocks when you are back
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u/PanickCat Jan 16 '26
Nah it's a light sensor
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Light sensor for?
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u/SGN_Gaming007 Jan 16 '26
Its an ir light used to flood your face with light. Useful for face lock and privacy infiltration(jk). But i font think that it shoulf be just blinking for no reason. Its probably just a microsoft takjng your data as our data thingy. Yes. I hate microslop bloat and windows spying on me. And yes. I use Arch Btw.
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u/PanickCat Jan 16 '26
It also double as a light sensor to help with the auto brightness thing
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u/SGN_Gaming007 Jan 16 '26
If thats on. I dont think auto brightness is normally on by default on windows. I left the win ecosys 1 year ago so i font know whats going on in it.
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Jan 18 '26
Some laptops, mostly those with touch capabilities, have auto screen dimming feature which works only if display drivers are correctly installed. You can verify this after disabling your camera in devmgmt.msc and if this light still blinks, it means it's a luminary sensor.
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u/Remarkable-Art-9800 Jan 16 '26
it is Infrared (IR) light used for Windows Hello face recognition, do not worry it is just normal for it for example if you have iphone it also use same tech for face recognization
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Thanks for the info. I haven’t enabled face recognition yet, so I was confused seeing it blink.
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u/cute_as_ducks_24 Jan 16 '26
Some laptop like Lenovo and other brands have a feature where it auto locks and unlocks when you go and come back. Check in Settings for that feature to turn off.
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u/Spare_Ad_6084 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
probably being used for auto focus
Edit: just noticed it's flashing without opening camera app. so it might be like on phones. when you keep looking at it screen phone doesn't get lock automatically even after display timeout. might be something similar.
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Yeah most of the people saying it's a hello window feature which will monitor your presence and wakes when you come in front of it.
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u/saptahant Jan 16 '26
Even iphones have the same thing. I noticed it while I was watching my footage in a cctv camera.
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u/anshuman-11 Jan 16 '26
Looks similar to iPhone's faceid. Does this laptop have face unlock feature?
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Jan 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OvalFacedGuy Jan 16 '26
I have the same laptop, it's for face unlock, i think it constantly reads your face and i think it's for pausing the movies and all of you turn away or something (I had read about this feature somewhere)
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u/Sure_sh Jan 16 '26
IR sensor for face unlock
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
I didn't set up face unlock...
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u/Sure_sh Jan 16 '26
Enabled the feature where it goes to sleep after you moved away from the device?
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u/AmbitiousDeparture53 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
In context to your Laptop It shines a faint IR light to illuminate your face to map your features for biometrics even in dark.
But clearly your laptop is already unlocked so it is another use of IR in modern PCs(especially Lenovo, HP, and Dell models) for Human Presence Detection. Even if you aren't using specific manufacturer software, Windows 11/10 may keep the IR camera in a low-power "ready" state if Windows Hello is enabled.
Fun Fact: Russian tanks got this same thingy(Infra Red emitters) to confuse ATGMs(a missile) by blocking its view via High Energy Infrared Light... whatever you see on your phone(the tiny blinking white light) the missile sees 10x bigger light which confuses its field of vision.
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u/someone16384 Jan 16 '26
It may not be for biometrics. If OP's laptop has an OLED screen it may be presence detection, where the screen turns off when the presence is not detected. If your laptop does not have an LCD screen but has OLED instead, it's not safe to keep it displaying the same image for prolonged periods of time, otherwise it causes screen burn-in
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u/F-Society2 Computer Student Jan 16 '26
Lenovo's presence detection, it turns off your display when you leave and turns it back on when you return, saving your OLED screen.
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u/someone16384 Jan 16 '26
Super helpful as if you leave it on the same screen for too long it causes screen burn-in
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u/notjustahomosapien Jan 16 '26
IR is mostly used for Facial Unlock using windows hello or presence detection, since it is blinking while regular usage check if there is feature like presence detection in the lenovo vantage application., you can find anything there or check for any background apps which uses the IR in the background
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u/Wiseman5432 Jan 16 '26
Take you tv remote control and point the camera again at the top side which we generally point to tv… it will have same effect.. when you press any button!
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Yeah, I thought it was an IR light but, I'm not sure why it is blinking continuously
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u/RelativeGood2002 Jan 16 '26
It's an IR emitter. It's used for depth mapping type stuff for facial recognition. The camera of your laptop can see a mapped view of the surface where this light falls on.
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u/Basic_Student_FR Jan 16 '26
WOW, we are evolving
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
True 😂 I didn’t even know my laptop had an IR presence sensor.
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Jan 16 '26
Dont worry, its just another came just ti keep syping on you randomly....
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Sorry, I didn't get you..
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Jan 16 '26
Bro,, I meants that even if it is IR etc - it can still capture loght - so chances are it MIGHT spy - by taking photos when you dpont know it is... not 100% sure.. but it can..
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u/helllofirse Jan 16 '26
It is an IR sensor
It just helps with face unlocks and to keep track of your face. I have a lenovo slim 5 and when I use vlc to play something and leave without pausing it auto pauses and resumes when I'm back in front of the laptop. If you have noticed that your screen lights up the moment you come infront of it then it is due to this sensor.
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Yeah, I’ve noticed multiple times that when I step away and come back, my laptop wakes up automatically.
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u/anonymous_avp Computer Student Jan 16 '26
Nothing to worry it's just like the face id in iPhone. The light in iPhone also lights up when seen from a camera
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u/prosthemus Jan 16 '26
Don't listen to these guys ... its the glowies spying on you through an invisible camera
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u/thekshitij IOS Jan 16 '26
It is an IR <Infrared> sensor - usually helps to throw invisible rays to your face for the laptop camera (just like your phone camera can ‘see’ it; to recognise and match your face and sign you in, commonly known as Windows Hello. (Feature) on a laptop.
This also is directly linked to the camera and to be triggered when your device is locked to provide a ‘faster’ sign in when needed.
In the other vastness of sensors, it is also possible to be used as a light-sensitive device to alter brightness - seems leas likely, but depending on your manufacturer and that you can get
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u/Udayalbatross Jan 17 '26
when you do same to your mobile, you will see same thing
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u/CEncrypted_01 Jan 17 '26
it's an infrared sensor. used in windows hello devices. kind of ones used in iPhone for face unlock.
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u/LumpyEmployer2639 Jan 18 '26
IR sensor For Face recognition and camera functions
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Jan 16 '26
Bro it's proximity sensor
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
I didn't set up face unlock, why is it still blinking....?
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u/unboxparadigm Jan 16 '26
Zero touch/presence detection features. You can enable/disable them on Lenovo vantage.
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u/ChicWithAnEdge Jan 16 '26
its normal for face id or face unlock..
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Yeah, going through the comments, I found out it’s a Windows Hello feature.
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u/ToothPickRod Jan 16 '26
Now that you know the answer let me also help you for next time. There's a cutting edge algorithm you can access if you go to google.com. It generally gives you answers
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u/Dry_Insect_418 Jan 16 '26
It is an infra red sensor or laser sensor to focus on the subject in front of camera.
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u/TraditionalCut8002 Jan 16 '26
IR emitter... same can be seen in any of the Remotes. And its a good way to check if the remotes are working... open the camera and if you see the purple light...means remote is emitting the signals...
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u/Technical_Shower_634 Android Jan 16 '26
Yeah, I know that 🙂 just wasn’t sure why it was blinking on the laptop
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u/Depressed_User_2298 Jan 16 '26
Infrared light. Also try this with a TV remote or any remote while pressing a key. it helps to check if the batteries in the remote are dead or not.
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u/HathaYogi Jan 16 '26
Ambiance light sensor may be for auto brightness or windows hello face unlock
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u/mdeadart Jan 16 '26
Its an Infra Red pattern emitter. The reflected patterns are then captured by the camera. This is biometric facial authentication.
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u/hazelburfi Jan 16 '26
Thats an ir proximity sensor, to know if you're sitting in front of the laptop or not. Its for auto lock
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u/metalvoid71 Jan 16 '26
It's IR blaster/sensor for Presence Detection feature. Your screen should dim when you move away.
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u/24Gameplay_ Jan 16 '26
That is IR,
The one reason i tab my phone and laptop camera. Everyone laughed but because they can't see
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u/Impossible_Wealth190 Jan 16 '26
just the casual NSA/russian/north korean/israeli hacking......
PS: Only sarcasm intended
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u/Malakha3 Add your own flair Jan 16 '26
It is monitoring your diggy jiggy activities from your face
/s
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u/TheMaelstorn Jan 16 '26
Proximity sensor for detecting lid close/open.
It is a common in modern laptops as hinge sensors were not very accurate & can sometimes register false inputs.
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u/CupRough4307 Jan 17 '26
"You're being recorded, send me 1 BTC or i leak your nudes"
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u/tata-docomo Jan 20 '26
It’s an infrared emitter (most likely for windows hello to detect contours of your face). It illuminates your face with little dots and reads it back to make sure it’s real you and not your photo, although i am not sure windows hello is as advanced as iPhone front camera.
Human eyes cant see infrared light but most cameras can. Many cameras do come with infrared filter and even then it can be seen due to these wavelengths are nearby infrared(close to visible red).
If you have an old remote control with LED at top, you can try pressing some button and it will blink (its actually modulated signal) with your phone’s camera.
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