Apple has officially received a patent for technology that could help to bring Face ID to the Apple Watch. The patent application was first published back in Spring of 2018, but is now one of 52 new Apple patents that has been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
According to the patent, the Face ID camera would be integrated into the body of the Apple Watch to enable facial recognition for a wearer looking at the screen. The patent also contains details about a slew of other sensors that would be incorporated into the band of the Watch, including capacitive sensors, elastic sensors, and EMG sensors.
The band sensors would allow the Watch to detect things like hydration and the orientation of the wrist, giving users more insight about their performance in a variety of physical activities. Apple has since searched for other ways to optimize the band of the Apple Watch, recently applying for a separate patent that details plans about a flexible antenna that would free up more space in the body of the watch for features like Touch ID.
As always, it’s not yet clear if and when the new technology will make its way into commercial Apple products. In the meantime, Apple has continued to support both Face ID and Touch ID. The former is once again a key feature of the latest iPhone, while the later is expected by many to return to the iPhone at some point in the future.
Source: Patently Apple
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