“Apple is looking to turn Apple Watch into an automated iPhone command and control module, as a patent application published Thursday details a method by which the wearable monitors, compares and adjusts handset audio output on the fly,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider.
“Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple’s ‘Volume control for mobile device using a wireless device’ application is a narrowly worded invention describing an Apple Watch implementation for automatically adjusting an iPhone’s alert volume, or other characteristics, based on ambient sound samples,” Campbell reports. “Such a system has obvious benefits in loud environments where alerts might not cut through environmental chatter, and would play well in quiet situations by silencing disturbing ringtones or alerts.”
Campbell reports, “In addition, because the Watch is positioned on a user’s body it is more accurate than an identical sound regulation mechanism built directly into iPhone.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, we want this capability ASAP!
now we’re finally in the future… what took so long.
Ok, it’s a pretty slick concept, but I have to ask why? When I’m wearing my Watch and my iPhone rings, or an email comes in, or a reminder pops up, or an event comes up . . . anything that could cause my phone to make a noise, the Watch itself notifies me pretty effectively. I keep my phone on vibrate, almost all of the time and I never miss a call. What about Watch battery life with full time sound level monitoring? Might be pretty cool for someone who uses their Watch and phone differently than I do though.
I see your point, arybaryba (Speedy Gonzalez?), but there is no reason that the Watch would have to monitor SPL on a 24/7 basis. When a call or notification arrives, the Watch could sample the ambient conditions for a fraction of a second before providing the initial response. It could then continue to monitor the ambient SPL and adjust the notification, as required, until a response occurs. Then it shuts off, unless Apple also actively adapts the speaker volume for ambient levels. In any event, the active SPL monitoring is only needed for short periods of time when an event occurs.
Nah, I like to think I’m Speedy, but probably more Slowpoke Rodriguez 😉 This is the reason I come to places like this. It’s one thing to love my Apple tech and what it does for me, and another thing to have deep understanding into how it all works at the technical level. I learn a lot from the people that really know this stuff. Thanks for the lesson.