Skip to main content

New Apple patent dreams of iPhones working just fine underwater

Apple is exploring methods that will improve the usability of iPhones when exposed to moisture-heavy scenarios, like being underwater or out in rainfall. The key objective is to somehow enhance the display’s touch sensitivity in such a scenario — or at least create a system that can offer enough touch sensitivity to discern between a valid finger-based gesture and accidental ghost touch from liquid exposure.

As per an Apple patent application, one of the implementations could include a Force Touch-like system – which Apple should totally bring back – that will measure the amount of force exerted on the screen. This patent pitches the idea of using a force input detection sensor or load detector to identify the point of touch input and accordingly determine if it originated from a finger-based gesture or just a liquid splash.

liquid spill on iphone 13 pro
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are multiple technical pathways in which the proposed system could come to life. For example, the ambient light sensor will kick things into motion when it detects that the amount of ambient light exposure has reduced due to moisture over the sensor, or in the case of underwater activity. Here, the ambient light sensor serves as an environmental sensor, as per the patent.

Recommended Videos

However, a pressure sensor that can determine events of water immersion can also serve as an environmental sensor. An electromagnetic sensor that emits radiations such as infrared waves can also be deployed as an environmental sensor to check if the surrounding space is submerged or covered with water.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The camera array can also be used to perform depth analysis of its surroundings by studying optical characteristics. This includes the refractive index of the surrounding medium, as well as the light absorption pattern to analyze if the device is submerged in liquid. The patent application throws around the idea of using a system of capacitors to discern between “false touch” and “true touch.”

In case an environmental sensor detects moisture above the screen, the capacitance detectors will help the processor calculate if the touch input comes from the user or the liquid covering the screen. A certain threshold value for change in capacitance over the screen will be set, and anything below or above that will categorically be identified as true or false touch input.

Upgraded hardware, sensible software

Aside from improving the touch sensitivity, the patent also talks about tweaking certain UI elements to make it easier for users to use a device underwater. For example, icons of the most commonly used apps could be enlarged for easier access. Additionally, the user experience of apps like the camera application can be simplified to make things more convenient for users.

iPhone 7 Plus
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Another proposal talks about assigning shortcuts to a few custom keys that will appear on the screen as soon as the device is submerged or heavy moisture activity is detected (such as rainfall). The idea here is that when the usual touch input is susceptible to failing, these customizable hotkeys will let users quickly execute tasks like clicking a picture, shooting a video, or making a call, among others.

As good as the ideas described above sound, keep in mind that this is just a patent application. To put it simply, it’s only an exploration of technical ideas that may, or may not, appear on an iPhone. But having read through a handful of Apple patents that explore wild concepts like a curved glass MacBook with an attached touch-sensitive keyboard or an iPhone with the Mac Pro’s cheese grater design, this one sounds feasible enough to actually pull off.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started writing…
This Reddit user wrote a Shortcut to estimate iPhone charging time
Black Nomad Stand One Max charging stand on household table with iPhone, Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro docked and charging.

For a long time, iPhone users have requested an estimate for how much longer it would take their phone to charge, but Apple has yet to come through. Reddit user u/AlxR25 grew tired of waiting for the feature and decided to create one themselves, sharing it on the r/iPhone subreddit.

They created the Shortcut through a combination of commands and instructed it to run immediately upon connecting the iPhone to a charger. When enabled, a message pops up with an estimate for how long until the phone is fully charged.

Read more
Apple may replace iPhone display supplier amidst quality concerns
Render of the iPhone SE 4 design.

According to OLED-info, a Chinese-based iPhone display provider has trouble with Apple over quality issues. The problems could affect the supply of future iPhones, including the upcoming iPhone SE 4.

BOE, which supplies LTPS AMOLED displays for the iPhone 14, 15, and 16, has had many displays rejected by Apple, causing a substantial drop in shipments. Since the beginning of 2024, the Chinese company has shipped only between 7 and 8 million panels to Apple, whereas it had initially anticipated shipping around 40 million units during the same period.

Read more
Spigen just accidentally leaked iPhone SE 4 renders
iPhone SE 4 leak by Majin Bu.

The iPhone SE 4 has been a highly-anticipated handset for a while now, and we expect it to drop sometime next week. We just got another good look at it, courtesy of case manufacturer Spigen. The company uploaded images of its case to its website, along with an iPhone inside the case. The website says it's an iPhone SE (3rd gen), but one look at the images shows that isn't the case.

Of course, we already had a solid idea of what the iPhone SE 4 would look like. The renders don't really come with any surprises; in many ways, the iPhone SE 4 looks like the iPhone 14, complete with the notch at the top. The case renders also show a single camera on the rear of the phone. One interesting change is the Alert Slider — the button on the side of your iPhone that enables/disables vibration — seems to have been replaced with an Action Button instead.

Read more