Apple could add a touchscreen to the AirPods charging cases so you can watch movies

Apple could add a touch display to its AirPods charging case, allowing users to activate apps, execute commands, and even watch movies.

The tech giant released a new patent outlining the innovation’s main focus of allowing users to access certain information without grabbing their iPhone.

The document describes the feature that provides access to audiobooks, maps, iMessage and the weather app.

Images suggest the screen would be on the front where the case closes and could connect to an Apple Home device.

Apple states that the interactive screen would “reduce the number of inputs from a user and create a more efficient human-machine interface.”

The patent, first reported by Patently Apple, was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office on September 19, 2022, suggesting that Apple is investigating the idea.

“There is a need for a headphone enclosure that can control operations traditionally associated with headphones (e.g., playback controls, switching audio sources, switching audio output modes, etc.),” ​​the document states.

The patent details various instances of how the screen would benefit users, while also noting that it would not replace the current touch controls on AirPods.

One suggests that an optical sensor on the front of the case would house a camera for taking selfies or enabling video conferencing.

Others indicate that the touchscreen would allow users to browse contacts, email clients, instant messages with friends, and view their calendars.

Apple would also allow access to apps like Stocks, Calculator, and Alarm Clock.

One image shows a movie playing on the display and sound streaming through the AirPods, while similar photos show a user listening to a radio show or audio book.

The charging case could have integrated haptic touch controls that activate when the user squeezes the case and toggles the audio mode.

While the patent sounds more realistic than many of Apple’s ideas, it’s not yet clear if the display will make it into the AirPods’ charging case.

The tech giant filed another patent in January 2022 for a biometric in-ear device that uses ultrasound signals reflected off the walls of a user’s ear canal.

This would discourage people from using lost AirPods.

AirPods and other headphones pose a security risk because anyone can wear them to issue Siri commands or even access private information.

Though Apple files many patents that didn’t make it to market, the tech giant says this patent “relates to user identification in general, and user identification with headphones in particular.”

AirPods aren’t specifically mentioned in the patent, however, suggesting the product could go by a different name.

It would function as a new form of biometrics, just as facial recognition and fingerprint recognition are already used to unlock smartphones.

Apple acknowledges that traditional wireless headphones that connect to a person’s smartphone typically allow use by an unauthorized person.