A newly-revealed Apple Watch patent (via AppleInsider) shows that Apple is developing a technology that could always match your Watch Face color with your chosen band and clothes. This “Electronic Devices With Color Sampling Sensors” patent explains that Cupertino might use sensors inside the display of the Apple Watch to make it automatically change colors and match your band or clothing.
“An electronic device such as a watch may include a display and a light sensor located behind the display. The light sensor may be used to measure the color of external objects.” By emitting light toward the object, the Apple Watch could understand which color you’re showing and then match your Watch Face.
Currently, a few Watch Faces let you switch the pointers’ colors or other details, such as weather and date. With this patent, on the other hand, you would just need to point an object, and the Watch Face would instantly change.
Apple explains: “The control circuitry may use a watch-band-specific algorithm to determine the color of watch bands and may use a clothing-specific algorithm to determine the color of clothing. The control circuitry may display the color on the display so that the face of the watch matches the user’s clothing or matches the user’s watch band.”
Interestingly enough, this patent reveal comes a few weeks after the company’s executives said they don’t plan to allow users to use third-party Watch Faces. That said, Apple is trying to make Watch Faces as customizable as possible, but no other person, instead of the company, can create a Watch Face from scratch.
This patent also makes us think that style is still a fundamental pillar of the Apple Watch. After changing its marketing focus from design to health, Apple is still working on ways to help users express their uniqueness by letting them personalize their wearables.
It’s unclear when this technology could land on the Apple Watch. Currently, Apple is preparing to release Series 9 with a new processor and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, even though the major changes are expected to come with watchOS 10.
BGR will keep reporting on Apple’s wearables’ latest features and changes.
