🌟 Summary

v0.1.42 makes the Flutter YOLO plugin safer on iOS, adds a clean API to choose front/back camera by default, and improves model initialization and stability across platforms. 🚀

📊 Key Changes

• ✅ iOS stability fix for Core ML config (experimentalMLE5EngineUsage)

  • Updated the iOS version guard so experimentalMLE5EngineUsage is only used on iOS 17+.
  • Prevents crashes on iOS 16 and earlier caused by setting an unsupported Core ML configuration key.
  • Implemented in BasePredictor.swift using a stricter #available(iOS 17.0, *) check.

• 🎥 New lensFacing parameter in YOLOView (front/back camera selection)

  • Added enum LensFacing { back, front } to the Dart API.
  • YOLOView now accepts lensFacing, defaulting to LensFacing.back for full backward compatibility.
  • On Android:
    • Reads lensFacing from creation params ("front" / "back").
    • Maps to CameraSelector.LENS_FACING_FRONT / LENS_FACING_BACK.
    • New setLensFacing() on YOLOView restarts the camera with the chosen lens when needed.
  • On iOS:
    • Uses AVCaptureDevice.Position.front / .back based on the passed lensFacing.
    • YOLOView initializer now takes a cameraPosition parameter and starts with that lens.
  • Example app updated:
    • CameraInferenceController tracks LensFacing and exposes it.
    • YOLOView in camera_inference_content.dart passes lensFacing and uses a more specific ValueKey to avoid stale views.

• 🧠 Model initialization robustness (YOLO.isInitialized + safer loadModel() / predict())

  • New bool get isInitialized lets you check if the model is ready before calling predict().
  • _isInitialized is now set only after a successful loadModel() result.
  • loadModel() returns a bool indicating success and only flips _isInitialized when loading works.
  • predict():
    • Auto-calls loadModel() if not initialized.
    • Throws a clear ModelNotLoadedException if loading fails, instead of silently misbehaving.

• 🔌 Fix for MissingPluginException with default YOLO instances

  • Restored backward-compatible channel naming:
    • "default" instance IDs are treated the same as null → no _default suffix.
    • Default channel name stays yolo_single_image_channel.
  • Prevents MissingPluginException when using the default instance without useMultiInstance: true.
  • Added tests validating channel names for default, null, and custom instance IDs.

• 🧪 Expanded tests for reliability

  • New test coverage for:
    • ChannelConfig behavior with default, null, and custom instance IDs.
    • YOLOView’s lensFacing defaults and combinations with other parameters.
    • Widget creation scenarios with front/back camera configurations.

• 📋 New GitHub issue templates for better support

  • Added structured templates for:
    • 🐛 Bug reports
    • 🚀 Feature requests
    • ❓ Questions
  • Centralized useful links (Flutter plugin docs, forum, Discord, Reddit) via config.yml.

• 🧱 CI & tooling maintenance

  • Bumped actions/checkout from v5 to v6 across workflows for up-to-date GitHub Actions support.
  • Pinned python-version: "3.13" in format.yml to avoid early Python 3.14 compatibility issues.

• 🧾 Versioning & changelog

  • pubspec.yaml bumped from 0.1.40 → 0.1.42.
  • CHANGELOG.md updated to document:
    • The new lensFacing feature.
    • The MissingPluginException fix for default instances.

🎯 Purpose & Impact

• 🛡️ Crash-free experience on older iOS versions

  • By guarding experimentalMLE5EngineUsage behind an iOS 17+ check, apps no longer crash on iOS 16 and below due to unsupported Core ML configuration keys.
  • Impact: smoother rollouts across mixed iOS fleets without conditional code on your side.

• 📸 Better camera UX with explicit front/back selection

  • You can now control which camera starts by default:

    YOLOView(
      modelPath: 'assets/models/yolo11n.tflite',
      task: YOLOTask.detect,
      lensFacing: LensFacing.front, // 👈 start with selfie camera
    )
    

  • Impact:
    • Easier to build selfie, video-call, or front-camera–centric apps.
    • Behavior remains unchanged if you do nothing (still defaults to back camera).

• 🧩 More predictable model lifecycle & errors

  • YOLO.isInitialized and stricter loadModel() semantics give you precise control over when the model is actually ready.
  • predict() failing fast with ModelNotLoadedException makes issues easier to diagnose instead of chasing silent no-op behavior.
  • Impact: fewer runtime surprises, simpler debugging, and clearer integration flows.

• 🔄 Restored compatibility for default plugin usage

  • The channel naming fix ensures existing apps using the default YOLO instance (no custom instanceId, no useMultiInstance: true) work again without MissingPluginException.
  • Impact: safe upgrade path from v0.1.38+ for apps that previously broke on default channel changes.

• 🤝 Smoother collaboration & faster support

  • Issue templates guide users to provide complete, structured information, reducing back-and-forth.
  • Clear links to docs and community channels help users self-serve more effectively.
  • Impact: higher-quality bug reports and feature requests, and quicker resolutions.

• 🧰 More stable CI and tooling

  • Keeping workflows on supported actions (checkout v6) and pinning Python versions makes automated checks more reliable.
  • Impact: fewer CI-related interruptions and more consistent releases for the plugin.

Overall, v0.1.42 is a stability and ergonomics focused release: fewer crashes on iOS, safer model initialization, restored backward compatibility, and a more flexible camera API for real-world apps. 🌈

What's Changed

• chore: expose isInitialized by @asabri97 in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/392
• fix: missing plugin implementation by @asabri97 in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/378
• Issue templates by @glenn-jocher in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/402
• chore(deps): bump actions/checkout from 5 to 6 in /.github/workflows by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/407
• Param set camera direction by @asabri97 in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/406
• fix: update iOS version check for experimentalMLE5EngineUsage from 16 to 17 by @zhponng in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/408

New Contributors

• @zhponng made their first contribution in https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/pull/408

Full Changelog: https://github.com/ultralytics/yolo-flutter-app/compare/v0.1.40...v0.1.42