Apple was granted a patent on Tuesday that looks like the Cupertino company might have plans at creating a feature in iOS devices that allows its settings to be changed automatically depending on your location. There are times when we might have to change the settings on our phone, like putting it on silent when going to the movies, turning on airplane mode when flying, increasing volume when outside, and etc. While some of us might be more conscious of our surroundings and will change the settings on our phones accordingly, there are others who might be forgetful which might explain why phones still ring in the cinema despite many infomercials reminding patrons to turn off their phones.
The patent filed by Apple is looking to change that and will rely on a variety of connectivity services to achieve its goal, such as GPS, cellular triangulation and WLAN communication, creating what has been referred to as a “situationally aware” phone. A similar sort of feature can already be found on iOS devices, such as the Reminders app that will remind users of certain tasks that need to be done in certain locations. Given that this is a patent, it is unclear as to whether Apple will be implementing this into future updates of iOS, but for Android users who think this is a great idea and would love to see it arrive for their devices, it sort of has with the Chameleon UI for Android tablets.
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