The Apple Watch Series 6 is on the verge of launching, with its debut rumoured to be taking place next week. The wearable is reportedly being unveiled alongside a cheaper watch that will take the place of the Apple Watch Series 3, dubbed the Apple Watch SE.
The smartwatch's features are still under wraps, but we've heard it could get an upgrade in the wireless connectivity department as well as new tech that can detect yoga poses, and now a new patent has revealed a slew of other improvements that will be coming to future Apple Watches – including a must-have iPhone security feature.
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Patently Apple has spotted a ream of patents that have been granted for the tech giant that allude to some exciting upgrades coming to its future wearables. The first is the addition of Touch ID, meaning users can have the same security as their iPhone counterparts with a "touch sensing device and/or a fingerprint sensor" on their watch.
The remaining patents centre around heath and fitness, and mention blood oxygen level monitoring – which we've heard is in the works, but may not make it to the Apple Watch 6.
As is always the case with patents, their approval doesn't indicate that the features or devices will definitely roll out, but it's a good idea of what tech companies are working on, and what we might see further down the line with future products.
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Interestingly, there's an algorithm that can allow the watch to sense which of the users' limbs it's being worn on, which can be useful when paired with biometric apps.
Apple appears to be leaning into the health and fitness side of things, with additional functionality that will see the smartwatch used for medical reminders, dietary and nutritional advice, and health tips.
We don't know how many of these – if any – will be implemented with the Apple Watch 6, but with Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3 launching with blood pressure monitoring, it's going to have a fight on its hands for the smartwatch crown.
Source: Patently Apple
