The Apple Watch may have struggled to make a radical leap in the last few generations, but a potentially significant upgrade could be coming to the card soon. This is a smart strap that can communicate with your Watch to trigger new modes.
At the moment, Apple Watch straps are non-functional, and you can simply plug them into your smartwatch for a new look.But as Patently Apple discovered (opens in new tab) Apple just got a new patent (opens in new tab) You’ll see an NFC connection band that you can plug into the new NFC module on your Apple Watch body.
but why? One of the main use cases suggested by this patent is a relatively minor but useful new feature. With the new connection between your Apple Watch and these smart straps, you’ll find that switching between bands automatically changes modes. For example, change your watch face or open a specific app.
This is useful if you have several different straps for different activities. Also, connecting a waterproof band will trigger swim-friendly features like turning on water lock mode.
Illustration from Apple’s patent application for an NFC-connected Apple Watch strap. (Image credit: US Patent and Trademark Office) This seems like a neat trick, but it’s not groundbreaking either. But the patent doesn’t stop there, it also describes additional features for these next-gen bands, such as the integration of health-focused sensors. It may help you to increase your standing in
The sensors the patent discusses also include those related to biometrics, gestures, and environmental sensing, so smart straps can go beyond simply triggering new Apple Watch states to things like security and health. It certainly has the potential to advance into the field.
Of course, this is just patents that have been granted at this stage, and many patents will never see the light of day on Apple products. But that’s part of the recent uptick in Apple Watch strap-related patents we’ve seen, including one involving smart fabric. (opens in new tab) Some show exactly how health sensors can be integrated, while others detail Apple’s plans for another blood pressure monitoring device.
Analytics: Your Gateway to More Exciting Capabilities According to the patent, future Apple Watches will have a band like the one above, simply with sensors embedded in the strap itself. (Image credit: Apple)
Whether or when Apple will introduce smart straps to its smartwatches remains to be seen, though it could be a bit further away to bring the concept to the Apple Watch 9, due out in September. There is a possibility
But those patents and Apple’s increasing move into the health sector suggest that the Apple Watch could be a likely candidate for the next big feature. The holy grail of blood sugar monitoring, which Apple reportedly made a major breakthrough in recently, is still years away. It may become
This could first arrive in the form of a band that simply modifies the Apple Watch’s UI, depending on what kind of strap it’s attached to. It sounds like a neat trick, but it’s only really useful for people who change watch bands regularly. This does not include all Apple Watch owners. And new smart straps are likely to cost more than today’s best Apple Watch bands (apart from Hermès’s).
So the prospect of NFC-connected straps containing sensors like those described in Apple’s smart fabric patents, including heart rate sensors, blood oxygen sensors, displays and even speakers, is a more exciting one. It may only get you connected, but these patents still have a lot of potential for Apple Watch innovation, even if the Apple Watch 8 review called it “the most iterative update ever.” It shows that there is a
