Skip to main content

The next-gen Apple Watch could have gesture controls and biometric authentication

Apple Watch Series 2's heart-rate monitor.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
While the Apple Watch Series 2 was a somewhat small step up from the original device, the third iteration of the smartwatch is shaping up to be quite a doozy. In fact, a new patent filed by Apple reveals that the company is working on tech that could bring things like gesture control and biometric identification to the device.

In other words, Apple Watch Series 3 owners may be able to control their device just by moving their hand, without having to use a tiny touchscreen.

Recommended Videos

The patent shows another technology that could be included in the device — a camera. According to the patent, the watch could come with both an image sensor to capture photos, as well as the software needed to be able to process photos that can then be either sent back to the smartphone or viewed on the device.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Not only that, but the patents also show that the Apple Watch will include an important security feature — the ability to detect who’s wearing it judging by their heart rate. The system would work similar to existing sensors on the Apple Watch, projecting light onto the skin of the wearer and then detecting how much of it is absorbed and how much is reflected back. Using that data, the sensor can then measure how much blood is present in the veins below.

On top of using the heart rate sensor to determine the wearer, the device could also use data from motion sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscopeto detect unique movement patterns. Such systems could eventually replace Touch ID during the authentication process for systems like Apple Pay, making using it slightly easier.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
The OnePlus Watch 3 might get this crucial feature before the Apple Watch
Someone wearing the OnePlus Watch 2.

Despite launching the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R last week, OnePlus and parent company Oppo are already gearing up for another release in February. At this event, OnePlus could launch the OnePlus Open 2 and the OnePlus Watch 3. While unofficial leaks about these devices are ramapnt, a recent official teaser indicates the OnePlus Watch 3 might also get blood pressure monitoring.

The teaser comes from Zhou Yibao, a product manager at OnePlus' parent company, Oppo. In a post on Chinese social media site Weibo, Yibao shared a look at the upcoming Oppo Watch X2, which is highly likely to be rebranded as the OnePlus Watch 3. While the post explicitly mentions that the Watch X2 will detect unusual fluctuations in blood pressure, an image attached to the post shows blood pressure trends over a fortnight, with a duration that indicates the risk of hypertension.

Read more
High blood pressure monitoring may finally come to the Apple Watch in 2025
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 on someone's wrist.

The Apple Watch is no longer just a smart wearable that doubles as a status symbol. The wrist-based powerhouse is capable of saving lives thanks to a bevy of different features, but there's one area — blood pressure readings — that Apple has never been able to crack. Now, a new rumor hints that the necessary sensors could come to the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

It's a technology that Apple has tried to crack for a while now, but Mark Gurman said in his Power On! newsletter that we might see blood pressure sensors in the next iteration of the Apple Watch. Based on these early reports, the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 will be able to alert users when their blood pressure is too high.

Read more
Apple Watch SE might embrace a new look this year
Apple Watch SE with Nomad Aluminum Band

Apple embarked on a design refresh trajectory for its smartwatch line last year, starting with the Apple Watch Series 10. Now, the company is reportedly eyeing a similar treatment for the Apple Watch SE refresh that arrives later this year.

In the latest edition of his PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman mentions a design makeover for the entry-level smartwatch. “A fresh version of the lower-end SE model will sport a new look,” says the report.

Read more