Apple is exploring the possibility of adding a brighter external flashlight to upcoming Apple Watch models. A newly discovered patent suggests the company is considering integrating a more powerful light source into a detachable watch band. While the Apple Watch currently has a built-in flashlight, it's often overlooked compared to the more familiar iPhone flashlight. To activate the Watch's flashlight, users can press the side button and swipe down to the flashlight icon. Currently, when Apple Watch users activate the built-in flashlight, the entire watch face illuminates.
The newly granted patent (seen by Apple Insider) indicates Apple's plans to address this limitation by introducing a separate, brighter flashlight that can be attached to the watch band. This external light source would offer a more focused and powerful beam, making it more effective for various tasks in low-light conditions.
How Apple may add an external flashlight to Apple Watch
This new patent "Modular Light Assembly For A Wearable Device” proposes the idea of adding a physical flashlight to the Apple Watch instead of relying on the on-screen one. The company explained that it would be attached to the band near the Watch’s chassis that will allow it to illuminate wherever it's directed and will function "separate from the display of the wearable device."
Apple explains: "Put another way, light sources..., when illuminated, generate visible light cast in a direction that is parallel, or at least substantially parallel, to an axis defined by a user's appendage (not shown) when the appendage passes through band."
"[When] the modular light sources includes a dedicated (i.e., separate) battery, the wearable device is less susceptible to the display draining the wearable device battery,” the company added.
The proposed external flashlight is expected to offer a brighter light source that will be more practical for various tasks. Moreover, the ability to detach and aim it would improve its utility. Additionally, integrating the flashlight into a watch band could potentially reduce the strain on the Apple Watch's internal battery.
end of article