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Apple Watch patent tips automatic band accessorising feature
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Future Apple Watch products could automatically accessorise when you swap out their bands, according to a newly revealed patent application.
As spotted byPatently Apple, the granted U.S. Patent and Trademark Officeapplicationsuggests that an NFC module be added to the tip of Apple Watch bands. This will then automatically pair up with one in the Apple Watch when brought together.
Following this physical and digital pairing process, the Apple Watch would automatically change its colour scheme to match that of the band. As it stands, you have to go through a relatively laborious manual theme-changing process if you want to change your Apple Watch theme to suit a new band.
It could also be used to open specific apps, so a sporty band might open a popular fitness app, for example. The patent application also points out that the system could be used to ‘authenticate’ official bands, offering a warning when a third party band is detected, or even disabling features on the Watch as a security measure.
That last implementation doesn’t sound so good to us, given the proliferation of affordable Apple Watch bands out there.
Of course, evidence of a patent application being accepted is no guarantee of a feature being implemented in future Apple products. The company has always been way more prodigious with its concepts than with its actual feature rollouts, which is as it should be.
It’s good to see Apple coming up with some fresh ideas for its smartwatch range, however. Especially when you consider what a minor upgrade theApple Watch 8proved to be.
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Jon is a seasoned freelance writer who started covering games and apps in 2007 before expanding into smartphones and consumer tech, dabbling in lifestyle and media coverage along the way. Besides bein…
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
