Apple airpod future may be able to identify the owner.
Apple has submitted a new patent entitled ‘Identification of Users Using Headphones’ with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (up to) explaining how it can identify airpod owners and increase their privacy.
According to the patent application, Apple believes that anyone can wear an airpod that belongs to others and while it is connected to other people’s devices, it can result in releasing personal information such as Siri announcing a notification or calendar update.
That’s right because there are no features similar to biometric authentication available for airpods and it seems very impossible.
However, the new patent application seems to discuss this issue.
Apple has explained that it can use the nearest device, ultrasonic signal, voice recognition and user running patterns to identify the official user of the device.
The idea here is somewhat similar to what the company has applied with the Apple Watch feature that is not locked as an alternative method for unlocking the iPhone when someone wore a mask.
Apple’s proposal here seems to be a broad version of it.
The company has explained that headphones, iPhone and Apple Watch can work together to identify the owner.
Apple will calculate the similarity scores determined based on the information of the first movement and the information of the second movement and if the similar score continues the scoring in common threshold, then the person who uses airpod is the owner.
Here the first movement is the information on the movement that is in accordance with the movement of headphones and iPhone, while the second movement information will be determined according to the movement between the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Not that, Apple also explained that they can use ultrasonic sound to determine whether the user is the owner or now.
“In some examples, the first audio output includes an ultrasonic signal transmitted from the second electronic device,” said the patent application.
“In some examples, the response received consists of ultrasonic signal echoes which are included in the first audio output.” While all ideas seem interesting, Apple does not explain the benefits of what users will come out of this feature.
The only thing we know is that Siri can avoid announcing whatever message you receive when other people wear your airpod.