water damage: How Apple could be planning to protect future iPhones and Apple Watches better from water damage – Times of India

Apple has patented a stand-alone water detector, as per a report by Patently Apple. The tech uses a membrane to detect whether water has seeped into a device and is likely to replace the gas-filled sensors the tech giant uses in its iPhones and Apple Watches to detect water ingress. With the insertion of the new tech, future iPhones and Apple Watches could be better equipped against water damage.
The stand-alone water-detector device mentioned in the patent comes with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane. The water detector device is envisioned as a tool that can behave in an intelligent manner when the membrane detects water such as in alert the user or shut down the iPhone or the Apple Watch before the water is able to do more damage inside. As per the report, the stand alone device could also be used in other devices like speakers and microphones “ to provide contextual awareness to run a water-ejection tone or tune-driving and sensing parameters based on water-log state (i.e., gains, filtering, etc.).”
Apple isn’t new to the water resistance game when it comes to its products. In fact, the company is ahead of its rivals. The iPhone 13 is rated for use at depths of up to 6 meters and the Apple Watch Series 7 could withstand a depth of upto 50 metres. The new tech in the patent may help enhance the water resistance of the future iPhones and Apple Watches further. However, it is just a patent for now and as most patents go, Apple might even skip commercial implementation if the detector presents any practical difficulties. But we have to be hopeful, don’t we?