Apple patent suggests a camera could be coming to Apple Watch

There have been plenty of rumours surrounding Apple adding more sensors to future Apple Watch models, but most of these rumours relate to health sensors like a body temperature sensor. 

A recently discovered granted patent talks about a camera sensor being added to the Apple Watch though, which is an entirely different ball game.

AppleInsider reported that the “Watch having a camera” patent suggests users would be able to take the Watch off their wrist and hold it up to take a photo, with the face acting as a viewfinder. Of course something would have to change for this to work though, given an Apple Watch currently locks when you remove it from your wrist. 

The patent appears to suggest that a camera sensor could fit within the Digital Crown however. “[A] watch can include a rotatable dial, such as a rotatable crown used for digital inputs,” it said, according to AppleInsider. “A camera can be included in the assembly to allow for images to be captured through an aperture extending through the dial.”

The patent also said: “A lens can be integrated within the aperture and/or behind the aperture of the dial to focus an image of a scene. An image sensor disposed behind the aperture can further be configured to detect movement of a marking on the dial to allow the image sensor to function both as a camera for capturing pictures of a scene, and as a sensor that detects rotation of the dial for sensing rotational inputs.”

Nothing is mentioned in the patent as to how you would be able to take a photo if the Digital Crown houses the camera sensor, and no further details were offered, but it is certainly an interesting idea.

Remember that patents don’t always mean that the feature will appear and we certainly don’t expect to see this idea in 2022 on the Apple Watch Series 8, but you can read all the rumours surrounding that device in our separate feature.