Latest Apple patent lets your iPhone detect gloved fingers

Apple filed a patent back in 2014 (published earlier today) that could allow future iPhones, and iPads, to detect touch input from gloved hands.

The patent, titled “Glove Touch Detection,” can be viewed online now. Apple explains in the patent that the proposed technology would allow a device to dynamically adjust conditions in order to take different touch-inputs into account. In essence, this would allow an iPhone handset to register touch even while a user is wearing a pair of gloves (or, for instance, a bandage or plaster). This would be a great move for iOS device owners living in cold climates, but also for companies who wish to use the iPad in the workplace (where workers are required to wear gloves for safety reasons).

Image credit: USPTO.

Image credit: USPTO.

This feature might sound simple enough, but as you can probably imagine, the technology behind the feature is complex.

You can, however, already interact with an iPhone’s touch screen using a pair of gloves, though these will need to be a specially-made pair such as Mujjo’s double-layered touch screen gloves. These gloves, which are available in leather, knotted nylon, and more, allow iOS device owners in colder climates to keep their hands warm while interacting with their smartphone or tablet.

As such, even if the patent never comes to light (as so many do), Mujjo’s solution offers a means of playing Crossy Bird while keeping your hands warm.

Related articles