Water is a major hazard to high-end wearable devices like smartphones and smartwatches, but water resistance has mitigated the threat, and future iPhones and Apple Watches could be even better protected.
In fact, Apple has patented an "autonomous water sensor," which uses a membrane to detect if water has entered a device. Apple currently uses gel-filled sensors to help detect and defend against water ingress, but this new system is more accurate and less prone to errors caused by pressure.
This system could also be smarter, as Apple says it would enable "more contextual awareness" of the current state of the phone or wearable device, allowing it to "behave in intelligent ways" such as alerting the user to the presence of water, off or sound. of a tone of ejection of water.
This standalone water detector could be implemented in any number of devices, with smart watches and smartphones specifically mentioned. So it's possible that a future Apple Watch or iPhone could more accurately detect the threat of water and also be better equipped to handle this threat intelligently.
There is also the possibility that this system could lead to better water resistance, because although nothing of the kind is mentioned, the fact that it could perform better than current systems under significant water pressure suggests that it could be designed to be used deeper under water.
The IP68 rating offered by iPhones isn't suitable for deep water activities, so perhaps that could mean future models will have better water resistance, although the likes of the Apple Watch 7 are rated at depths of 50 meters, so the water pressure could already be a problem for them.
Either way, it's just a patent, and Apple files far more patents than it uses on commercial products, so don't expect to see this system, but there's always a chance it could be applied to a future iPhone or Apple Watch.
Analysis: Apple is serious about water resistance
Apple already takes water resistance very seriously, for example, the iPhone 13 is designed to be used at depths of up to 6 meters, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22, which is only waterproof to 1,5 meters deep .
So Apple is ahead of the game and has been for a long time. So it's likely that the company can push this further, whether through this system or another.
There's also talk of a rugged Apple Watch in the works, which could be the front runner for an improved water detection system, but it's too early to tell if that system will actually be used with this.
Through the Apple patent