Methods and devices for masking latency may include detecting a pause in receiving an image stream from an imaging device and generating one or more virtual image frames, each including a status indicator to indicate a status of the imaging device when the pause in receiving the image stream is detected. The methods and devices may also include generating, at the operating system, a data stream with the one or more virtual image frames inserted after a last image frame of the received image stream. In addition, the methods and devices may include transmitting the data stream to an application.