Apple Could Add User Authentication to AirPods

A newly published Apple patent application shows that the company is looking at ways to bring user verification to its products.

In a patent application titled " User Identification Using Headphones" filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and spotted by Patently Apple, Apple explains how it can use other nearby devices, voice recognition, and even a wearer.

The issue of being unable to determine if a wearer is the authorized user of a connected device is addressed in the filing. Apple suggests that this can be a problem since any user can place headphones into their ear while they are connected to a device belonging to another person, which risks the connected device releasing personal information.

The system is able to use a similarity score to verify a user's identity, instead of Face ID, Touch ID, or any other kind of Biometrics. The similarity score may be based on multiple variables, such as the proximity of other nearby devices. Apple says that it could still be used to increase the accuracy of the similarity score. Apple wants to play and receive sound inside the headphones in order to make sure a user is who they say they are.

For example, various characteristics of the user's ear provide an echo of the ultrasonic signal which is unique to the user. Variations in the surface of the user's ear canal may cause the ultrasonic signal to reflect off the surface and generate an echo having a signature that is associated with the user. For example, a user having a larger ear canal may result in an echo having a longer reverberation time than a user having a smaller ear canal.

Apple says that the information gathered from the AirPods could be used to determine if the user is the owner of the connected device. If it reaches the required threshold, the various data points provide an overall similarity score that could be used to verify users.

It's possible that Apple will add user authentication to the AirPods in a future update, as the company often adds new features to existing devices. Some areas of research and development are shown in patent filings, but they are not representative of Apple's immediate plans.

A hydration sensor for the Apple Watch is one of the designs included in recent Apple patent filings.