Gesture-Sensing Digital Crowns

One of the more recent Apple Watch patents surfaced late in January 2020. And it could help do away with one of the most annoying things about the Apple Watch: accidental Siri activation from the Digital Crown. But while the patent focuses on improving the Digital Crown, its possible uses go far beyond reducing annoyance.

The patent essentially details a flat Digital Crown with Force Touch feedback. But beyond ditching an analog component, that updated Digital Crown could even incorporate different gesture and sensor-based controls. In theory, that could mean that you’ll be able to control certain watchOS functions with wrist movements or specific taps on the Crown.