Apple is working on a fix to an age-old problem with smartphones

Apple was recently granted a patent, holding the potential to address an issue plaguing smartphones during calls, when using a device close to the ear. During a cellular call, most smartphones, including the iPhone, are designed to turn off the screen, when the device gets too close to the user’s face. This feature avoids accidental touchscreen input, as the phone’s display makes contact with skin.

While this behavior is expected, there are situations in which a device’s screen will turn on again, for instance when an on-screen notification comes through, especially when using lock-screen widgets. This often allows for input to be sent, during a conversation, and in some rare situations, even accidental hanging up, in mid-conversation.

As mentioned earlier, Apple’s new patent, titled “Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation”, describes the use of proximity sensors, in concert with touch sensors and/or infrared sensors, to detect proximity of certain objects, and textures, such as human skin, and differentiate between different responses. In turns, the iOS device using this technology will be able to tell the difference between the user’s fingertips, and face, preventing input during a phone call.

This patent can apply to virtually any touchscreen device, including iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and iPad Pro. The method described in the patent would contemplate the ability of devices to detect “hover” events, more specifically the presence of a touch input device a few millimeters above a touchscreen display.

Different events can also be triggered, that may even include gestures compatible with 3D Touch. the most exotic application could also entail the ability to create a keyboard from a trackpad, possibly laying the foundation for this technology to be implemented in Mac computers.

Apple seems to be very invested in the possibility of bringing touch input to keyboards, also according to another patent, granted last Summer, titled Fusion Keyboard, which describes mechanical keyboards with trackpad functionality built into the keys.