Almost all high-end smartphones today have enough water resistance to use them safely in the rain. But if you’ve ever tried interacting with a smartphone’s screen in a heavy downpour, you should know how difficult it can be, with moisture causing false touches. Fortunately, Apple seems to have a new solution to this.
A patent spotted by Forbes titled “Changing the functionality of an electronic device during a moisture exposure event” details the different ways an iPhone can use pressure and humidity sensors to detect touches. These “moisture events” can range from a small amount of water on the screen to a complete submersion of the phone.
After detecting a humidity event as described in the patent and understanding how much moisture the iPhone is dealing with, the phone tries to adapt to it to prevent false touches from being recorded.
To help with this, the layout of the buttons on the screen can be changed, for example, by making them larger or further apart so that they are easier to click. Some controls can even be removed entirely, allowing for a simplified interface with just the push of a few large buttons.
It looks like the phone will also use pressure sensors to make sure that touches are only recorded when a certain amount of pressure is applied. This is because it can create firm pressure with your fingers, but a drop of water cannot produce the same effect. According to the patent, the amount of pressure required and the layout of the interface also vary depending on the situation. For example, a different order when it is raining and a completely different order when underwater…
However, as is always the case with such patents, we may not encounter this technology for a long time, or even at all.
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