Apple is dreaming of a future where you can take your iPhone diving. A new patent filed by the tech giant envisions an “underwater mode” that would activate when your iPhone is submerged, letting you operate the touchscreen and camera while splashing around up to 40 meters deep. The 78-page patent, published on Tuesday, details an alternative iPhone interface designed specifically for underwater use. According to the patent description, Apple believes current iOS software is “cumbersome and inefficient” when an iPhone is wet. All those little icons and gestures don’t work as well when your fingers are soaked. So Apple came up with the idea for an “underwater user interface” to solve these problems. The new interface would simplify iOS by enlarging buttons, reducing menus and relying more on hardware buttons like volume controls. One drawing shows an iPhone in a fish tank with little cartoony fish swimming by. A special icon appears to indicate the phone is in underwater mode. Apps would display specialised interfaces when submerged, with bigger buttons for clumsy wet fingers. For example, the camera app could let you zoom in and out using volume buttons rather than pinch gestures. Selections could be made with the power button rather than touching the screen. Even the home screen would become more linear, allowing you to scroll through apps vertically instead of swiping horizontally. Apple says current methods for underwater phone operation are “outdated, time-consuming and inefficient.” Swiping and tapping just doesn’t work well when water is involved. The new patent aims to make using an iPhone underwater fast and easy. While no existing iPhone is meant for use in water beyond 1 meter deep, Apple has clearly considered making them fully submersible. The Apple Watch Ultra is already capable of recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters deep. Apple’s interest in underwater iPhone tech aligns with the steady waterproofing of its devices over the years. The iPhone 14 lineup is rated for water resistance up to 6 meters for 30 minutes – useful for splashes and brief dunks, but not deep-sea adventures. Of course, Apple patents all kinds of experimental ideas that never see the light of day. So this underwater interface may never actually ship in a real iPhone. Imagine snapping photos of coral reefs right from your iPhone, recording 4K video of sharks and whales, or using navigation apps to track your position while scuba diving. Underwater selfies with the fish could be the hot new social media flex. For now, companies like Catalyst sell waterproof cases to protect your iPhone on diving trips. But Apple’s patent proves the tech giant has considered making that protection innate to the iPhone itself. Of course, we likely won’t see an underwater-capable iPhone 16 this year. But if Apple ever makes a future iPhone fully waterproof, perhaps one day you could take it snorkelling or scuba diving right out of the box.
