Apple can add a camera to future Apple Watch models

Apple often files unique patents for products like iPhones, MacBooks, and even its highly-anticipated electric cars, and while they may or may not see the light of day, they sound fun (at least on paper). The tech giant has now filed a recent patent that aims to integrate a camera into the Apple Watch. Check out the details below right now!

Apple was recently granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled "Camera for Viewing". In the patent, the company describes a way to integrate a camera into the Apple Watch using a detachable housing or fit the camera lens into the Apple Watch's existing digital crown.

“The watch may include a housing having an attachment interface configured to couple to the front face, the back face, and the watch band. A camera may be mounted on the housing and configured to photograph a view through the back of the housing. A display may be visible through the front of the housing and may be configured to display the image,” the patent reads.

In the proposal above, Apple says you'll be able to take off your watch and point it at a scene to capture an image with the back of the watch. However, this would be quite a task and many users might miss the right moment to capture a scene with their Apple Watch.

In another proposal, Apple suggests that the camera lens could be integrated into the Apple Watch's Digital Crown and its display used as a viewfinder. However, patents do not provide solutions to potential problems with designs. It only focuses on ways to integrate a camera with the Apple Watch

“[a] The watch may include a rotatable dial such as a rotatable crown used for digital inputs. A camera may be incorporated into the assembly to allow photography through an aperture extending through the dial,” the patent further reads.

The patent also says that the camera's flash can also be used for "physical sensations" when the watch is worn on the wrist. Additionally, Apple says the Apple Watch's image sensor can perform multiple purposes, such as processing an image and detecting "rotation of the dial for sensing rotational inputs." However, it's worth noting that attaching a camera lens to the Digital Crown can be quite difficult, given the crown's already-complicated mechanics.

Furthermore, if Apple is considering an Apple Watch model with a built-in camera, it needs to focus on the technology's privacy concerns. This is due to the fact that users can use the Apple Watch camera to capture images of individuals without their knowledge.

However, since this is an Apple patent we're talking about, it probably won't even see the light of day anytime soon. It could take years for Apple to finally integrate the technology into its Apple Watch models.

If you like the idea of ​​a camera on the Apple Watch, you should know that there is already a camera-integrated Apple Watch band, dubbed the WristCam, available in the market that allows users to take photos with their Apple Watch.