Perhaps the biggest enemy of phones is water. Although water-resistant phones have been made recently, most devices are helpless against heavy water. Working on this issue, Apple has received a new patent that will allow the use of iPhone models under water or in heavy rain.
Apple is working overtime to improve underwater use
Apple’s main goal is to preserve the touch sensitivity of the screen in such a scenario. Accordingly, it is aimed that the smartphone screen can accurately read touch gestures even when underwater. For this, the company has resorted to various methods.
First of all, Apple can bring back sensors that detect the force applied to the screen with its new patent. In this way, Apple plans to distinguish the phone from finger pressure and touch notifications from water. The company can use an ambient sensor to activate this sensor. In this way, the phone, which understands that it is under water, will be able to interpret the screen inputs differently.
At the same time, these pressure sensors can detect when the phone is under water. The phone’s camera can also play a role in determining underwater activities. The patent filing introduces the idea of using a capacitor system to distinguish between “false touch” and “true touch”.
In addition to improving touch sensitivity, the patent also points to certain settings to make it easier for users to use a device underwater. These include enlarging the icons of the most frequently used applications. At the same time, some application interfaces can be simplified.
In addition to these, it is among the contents of the patent that a few special shortcut keys appear on the screen when the device enters water or heavy rainy environments are detected. Thus, in situations where normal touch input may be insufficient, it is aimed not to adversely affect the users’ phone using experience thanks to the customizable hot keys.
Apple’s patent application sounds pretty impressive. However, it is unclear when these features will be available on iPhone models. So, would you like to use your iPhone underwater? You can share your views with us in the comments section.
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