New sensor for Apple Watch 8 recently discovered in patent filing

When will the Apple Watch 8 temperature sensor make its debut?

 

This week, Samsung debuted a temperature sensor for its new Galaxy Watch 5, which is presently dormant. This is the strongest hint yet that Apple may adopt a similar feature when the Apple Watch 8 debuts next month.

 

This week, MyHealthyApple discovered an Apple patent for “Temperature gradient detection in electronic devices” (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab). Although it doesn’t mention the Apple Watch by name, it does highlight the technology’s potential use in smartwatches, and the only gadget shown in the diagrams really resembles an Apple Watch quite a bit.

 

The temperature probe can be used on “any acceptable surface, whether internal or exterior of the electronic device,” according to the patent, and is configured to generate a voltage in response to a temperature gradient between its first and second ends.

 

The patent also states that the external probe could be used to measure the temperature of a smart watch’s rear crystal in addition to being able to be used to measure the temperature of internal components. According to Apple, the temperature sensor is “high-precision and high-accuracy,” thus which would also indicate that it is accurate.

 

That’s wonderful news because historically it has been difficult to accurately detect temperature from the wrist. In fact, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple tried to make the temperature sensor in the Apple Watch 7 last year accurate enough but failed.

 

Since the wrist isn’t a very accurate location to monitor body temperature, an algorithm would need to be used to estimate an overall figure, according to Kuo. According to Kuo, the sensor was put on hold for a further year in 2021 since the algorithm wasn’t trustworthy enough.

 

However, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, “the feature is a go” for the Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch Pro models from this year, indicating that the issue has been fixed. However, Gurman believes that the watch will only alert you to significant temperature fluctuations that might indicate a fever so you can obtain a second opinion from a doctor or thermometer. The resolution may simply be a veiled representation of the true data.

 

It might also be used to track fertility, or it might even benefit athletes with their recovery. Furthermore, there is no knowing what other app developers would be able to do with the technology if Apple makes the sensor available to developers.

 

It’s possible that Apple will attempt to add more sensors to its wearables after this one. Along with the persistent allegations about blood glucose monitoring, it was reported last year that Apple was Rockley Photonics’ biggest client. Rockley Photonics creates mobile sensors that measure everything from alcohol to carbon monoxide levels.

 

But for this iteration, along with the release of a new, pricey, and durable Apple Watch Pro, the temperature sensor is anticipated to be one of the greatest upgrades. We anticipate that the iPhone 14 will be released next month, along with both of them plus an upgraded Apple Watch SE, so there isn’t much longer to wait.