The iPhone 11 or Apple Watch 5 could monitor your body smells

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Tech evolves to benefit our lives in new and unexpected ways, and Apple has come up with another way that its products could help you – by alerting you if you smell funny.

According to patents found by Cult of Mac, Apple has designed a system that would let sensors in its devices recognize chemicals in the air, and from that judge any noxious smells.

The point of the Systems and Methods for Environmental Sensing, as Apple calls it, is so that a device like the iPhone 11 or Apple Watch 5 could detect pollution or other toxins in the air and alert the user of danger. This could have many uses, such as a Carbon Monoxide detector or air pollution tracker in a wearable, that helps keep the user safe.

The most interesting part of the patent, however, is the "smell recognition capabilities" – perhaps this means the system could check if your breath stinks before a date, or if your body odor is overpowering after exercising. 

Since the majority of the patent explains how the system could monitor chemicals to evaluate air quality, it's unlikely Apple is specifically designing a system to keep track of your personal hygiene. But wouldn't we all love our phone to check our breath before we inflict it on people?

The system is just in the patent stage at the moment, so there's no guarantee we'll see it in the iPhone 11 or Apple Watch 4, but keep checking back for all the latest Apple news, rumors and leaks to find out all the other things those devices might bring.

Via UberGizmo

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.