New patents suggest iPhones will become easier to use in wet weather

The iPhone 7 was the first iPhone resistant to damage from rain or splashes of water. But wet fingers or water on the glass can lead to the screen struggling to respond accurately to user commands. This is because water can change the electric field around the capacitive screen. But two patents applications suggest that Apple is working on new technology that will solve this problem.

An iPhone being used in the rain. [Photo:VCG]

The patents cover new filter technology that screens out gestures not performed deliberately by the user. By limiting the number of extraneous gestures processed by the phone, which require a lot of computing power, the device will run more efficiently.

The technology can better detect the movement of a user's finger on a touch screen in humid or wet conditions, and reduce input errors caused by water drops. According to Apple, there will be a large number of touch detectors in the screen, and the type of touch will be assessed by an algorithm to determine whether the touch is intentional.