'American Idol' contestants have reportedly been filming footage for the show on iPhones

• Contestants on upcoming episodes of "American Idol" have reportedly filmed their own performances using iPhones as the show grapples with the need to film remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Trish Kinane, "American Idol"'s showrunner, told Deadline Hollywood that contestants have been sent "top of the range" iPhones and entrusted to provide editable footage themselves.
• Kinane added that it "wouldn't surprise" her if iPhones were used to help film "American Idol" in the future.
• The long-running singing contest – judged by Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan this year – is currently on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to return on April 26.
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Contestants on upcoming episodes of "American Idol" are filming their own performances using iPhones as the show grapples with the need to record remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trish Kinane, showrunner fro "American Idol," told Deadline Hollywood that contestants have been sent "top of the range" iPhones and entrusted to provide editable footage themselves.

Kinane added that it "wouldn't surprise" her if iPhones were used to help film the show in the future.

ABC's long-running singing contest – judged by Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan this year – is currently on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to return on April 26. 20 contestants remain in contention to be crowned this year's idol.

While Apple appears more than happy to have its technology used for filming purposes, the tech giant is notoriously protective over how its tech is portrayed in movies.

In a February interview, Rian Johnson – the director of quirky whodunit "Knives Out" – told Vanity Fair that Apple sets limits on which characters can use its devices.

"Apple... they let you use iPhones in movies but — and this is very pivotal if you're ever watching a mystery movie — bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera," Johnson said.

In any case, the wider consumer outlook for the iPhone remains murky thanks to COVID-19, though the company recently announced a new version of the iPhone SE that's cheaper than previous flagship phones. According to a Goldman Sachs analyst note from last week seen by Business Insider, iPhone unit sales could drop by 36% in the second calendar quarter of 2020.

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