Skip to main content

Apple patent suggests Apple Watch bands could have built-in fitness indicators

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple may be looking into making the Apple Watch bands a little more high tech. A new patent filed by Apple notes the use of indicators on the Apple Watch band for things like the progress of fitness goals.

Recommended Videos

The patent notes the band working in conjunction with the actual Apple Watch device. It discusses the fact that the Apple Watch itself has tech like a processor and sensors for tracking fitness, and the indicators on the Apple Watch band could show information based on data collected from those sensors.

It’s important to note that the patent is a continuation of patents dating back to 2015 — so while the idea isn’t completely new, it’s clear that Apple is still working on the concept.

The patent includes images that show relatively subtle indicators on the Apple Watch’s band. In the images, there are three thin LED lights, which could be used to indicate the Apple Watch’s “Move,” “Exercise,” and “Stand” goals. This way, you could see the information at a glance without waking the actual Apple Watch — which could ultimately help save battery, albeit only a little.

The images show all kinds of different indicators, too. For example, the band could have fitness ring indicators, or indicators related to heart rate. Some indicators could also be included on the side of the band, instead of on the front, making for an even more subtle way to display information.

Of course, rumors of Apple offloading some tech into the Apple Watch band have popped up a number of times over the past few years and there is still no guarantee that it will happen. After all, with anything in the band, it will become harder to use third-party bands or more fashionable bands. Bands with indicators like this may, in particular, benefit fitness junkies who want to be able to quickly see where they stand in their fitness goals without having to turn their wrist and wake the display of the actual watch.

We’ll have to wait and see if Apple ends up adding indicators into Apple Watch bands, but at least for now we know the company is thinking about it. The next Apple Watch model will likely be released at some point in September, alongside the new iPhone.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
Apple could soon fix Wi-Fi access woes across all your devices
Setting up Wi-Fi on an iPhone.

One of the biggest hassles while traveling is the hunt for a decent internet connection, and then getting it to work across all your devices. The conundrum is now mainstream across hotels, lodges, and coffee shops — essentially all the establishments a person is supposed to spend a few hours of their day, but needs to fill a web form first before they can get internet access.

Apple will soon put an end to those Wi-Fi registration struggles. According to Bloomberg, the company is working on “a system that can synchronize captive Wi-Fi access details across the iPhone, iPad and Mac.”

Read more
3 things I want to see from the new Apple Health at WWDC 2025
A screen showing Apple Health info page

We’re entering a fairly crucial part of the year for Apple. Yes, it’s not the iPhone launch season, which is arguably still the most important part, but it is WWDC time, and it is a first look at the future of Apple’s ecosystem. 

With WWDC 2025 a month away, we haven’t heard much about what Apple has planned, but we know that the event will focus heavily on AI. There may be new hardware in the AirTag 2, but we will learn more about the future of Siri. It’s been a year since the new Siri was announced, but Apple has already confirmed that the features will take another year to roll out.

Read more
Apple Watch sales are still falling, but the reasons are clear
A person wearing the titanium Apple Watch Series 10.

While the Apple Watch has proved popular since the first one dropped in 2015, the tech giant’s smartwatch has seen declining sales more recently.

According to new data from Counterpoint Research, Apple’s smartwatch shipments declined a not insignificant 19% year-on-year in 2024, with the device brand experiencing declines in all regions except India. 

Read more