A new patent reported by AppleInsider reveals that Apple may be working on a way to improve the technology in its “Find My AirPods” feature to allow users to better locate where lost peripherals may be located. Currently, the Find My AirPods feature, which was introduced in iOS 10.3, plays a sound through the AirPods that will help a user locate the lost earbud, but still requires the user to hear it.
A new patent application filed last year, titled “Locating Wireless Devices,” would expand on the pinging function by using an array of two or more microphones on a device such as an iPhone to estimate the direction that AirPods are located in, and point the user in that direction. The patent also describes methods for using other sensors to determine the device’s physical location and using sound readings to determine the approximately location of the accessory, guiding the user to the spot with a compass-style user interface.
Other possibilities include using audio in areas of the spectrum not normally audible to human ears, allowing for “silent” pinging that would provide location estimation without disturbing nearby users and avoid issues with noisy environments. As with most patent applications, the mere existence of a patent filing doesn’t guarantee that Apple is even working on a feature, much less that it will see the light of day, although this one seems like a logical extension of Apple’s current Find My AirPods technology.
