Skip to main content

Apple patent hints at biometric authentication for the Apple Watch

While the iPhone has evolved to include different biometric authentication methods, including fingerprint sensors and facial recognition, Apple Watch users have been a little left out. A new patent from Apple, however, suggests that may change in the near future.

The patent essentially describes the use of biometric sensors on the watch that can look at the wearer’s wrist skin texture pattern. In other words, using “biometric sensing pixels,” the device can look at the pattern of your skin. This would allow users to have their watches automatically unlock when they put on the device.

The system may actually incorporate a number of biometric sensing pixels, rather than just one. What that means is that if Apple did pursue this, it may incorporate sensors on the wristband as well as on the body of the watch itself. A number of sensors could be included in these skin texture systems, including infrared sensors, electric field sensors, and more — all used for biometric authentication.

The variety of sensors may be used to authenticate a user’s identity in different ways. Not only could the sensor look at a user’s skin texture, but it could also track electric fields and other elements for use. The infrared sensor could also be used to distinguish things like hair from the texture of the actual skin, which could help ensure a more accurate reading.

Of course, just because Apple has filed for a patent for this tech, it doesn’t mean we’ll see it incorporated in a real product any time soon. It’s a little hard for us to imagine Apple incorporating sensors and other tech into watch bands at this point, especially considering the fact that there’s quite a large ecosystem of third-party watch bands. Instead, if Apple does incorporate the tech, it’s likely it will try to figure out a way to solely use sensors built into the watch body.

Apple is likely already working on a follow-up to the much-loved Apple Watch Series 4, which we expect to be released around September 2019. Considering the Apple Watch Series 4 offered a pretty significant design update, we expect the Series 5 to be a minor upgrade, but it could still have some cool extra features.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
This $250 smartwatch destroys the Apple Watch in 4 ways
Amazfit GTR 4 LE on a tree branch with screen on.

Amazfit recently announced the Amazfit GTR 4 Limited Edition, and I used it to replace my similarly priced Apple Watch SE. It's a $250 health/fitness-orientated smartwatch, and upon first glance, it'd be easy to overlook it.

In my 10 days of usage, however, I came across a few things that the Apple Watch SE either doesn’t have — or offers on the more expensive Apple Watch Series 8. While the software experience on my Apple Watch SE remains unparalleled, there are four ways in which the new Amazfit GTR 4 LE is outright better.
The build quality is out of this world

Read more
Apple building an AI health coach for Apple Watch, report claims
Apple's Health app.

Apple is developing an "AI-powered health coach" that will offer personalized advice for improving exercise, diet, and sleep, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.

Sources claiming to have knowledge of the matter told the news site’s Apple insider Mark Gurman that the new service -- reportedly codenamed Quartz -- will use AI technology with health data gathered by Apple’s smartwatch to make the company’s health platform even more useful.

Read more
If watchOS 10 looks like this, I need it on my Apple Watch right now
watchOS 10 home screen reimagined through a concept render

We’re fast approaching Apple’s WWDC on June 5, where we will not only get a glimpse of what’s to come in Apple product software updates but possibly a look at the hyped-up mixed reality headset. But even if you aren’t interested in the AR/VR stuff, Apple will still be showing iOS/iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14 too.

This year has also had a lot of back and forth going on in the rumor mill, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman saying that iOS 17 may be a quiet release this year, then later saying it may be big by bringing highly requested user features. He also claimed that while the Apple Watch itself may have more modest hardware upgrades this year, there may be more focus on the software front with watchOS 10 instead.

Read more