Apple patent application hints at plans for water-resistant iPhone

Apple has applied for a patent for a technology that should prevent connection ports on iPhones from filling with water. That suggests that Apple is toying with the idea of ​​releasing a water-resistant iPhone.

The patent application in question was filed by Apple with the US patent office USPTO and was discovered by AppleInsider. The company filed the patent last year, but it has not yet been granted. The application describes a technology to protect connectors on the iPhone from water or dust. For example, by covering the ports with a self-healing elastomer, users could connect their headphones by puncturing the material. When the headphones are removed, the material should recover itself and therefore no water, dust or other things should pass through.

For the construction of the self-healing material, Apple would like to use material based on conventional polymers. These should regain at least 90 percent of the initial tensile strength after penetration, for example through a headphone jack or a data cable. How this translates into long-term sustainability, however, is not clear. However, Apple lists a number of different ways of incorporating the self-healing elastomer into iPhones in its patent application, suggesting that the company is still thinking about how to implement the technology.

By using materials described in the patent application, it should be possible to make a water-resistant iPhone. It is not clear whether Apple is also working on this; Not all patent-pending technologies are ultimately incorporated into products. However, there were earlier rumors that indicate that Apple has a water-resistant iPhone in the pipeline.

Several companies have made water-resistant smartphones, but in many cases, the material that protects the connection ports from water or dirt must be removed manually. If the technology is applied in Apple’s patent application, it would no longer be necessary.