Hot on the heels of that foldable Apple Watch patent, Apple’s latest smartwatch concept suggests it’s not just thinking about bigger screens – it’s thinking smarter ones, too.
A recently surfaced patent reveals the tech giant has come up with a way to turn the side of the Apple Watch into a dynamic, touch-sensitive control surface – essentially creating a mini Dynamic Island, but wrapped around your wrist.
As spotted by Patently Apple, the patent details a clever design that replaces the traditional metal watch case with a glass shell. The key twist? That glass would be interactive.
Depending on what app or function is running on the watch, the side panel could morph into different controls, from volume sliders to fitness buttons or even scrollable lists.
This kind of contextual interface is very on-brand for Apple. Think about the iPhone’s Dynamic Island – a space that shapeshifts to show you what’s most relevant: music playing, timers, FaceTime calls.
Now imagine a similarly adaptable approach to the Apple Watch, but applied to the edges of the device instead of the face.
According to the patent, the side could display iconography, text, or controls that change in real-time, based on the app in use.
So if you’re scrolling through workouts, it might give you swipe-based navigation. If you’re listening to music, it might show track and volume controls. All while keeping the main watch display uncluttered.
This new patent confirms that Apple is still thinking differently – not just about the watch face, but about what a watch can be.
As always, patents don’t guarantee a product, but they do offer a peek into the future Apple’s designing for.
And if even a slice of this makes it into a future Apple Watch, it could change how we interact with wearables all over again.
