Apple has a new patent out there, one that turns iPads and iPhones into smoke detectors, judging by what’s written in the official documents. We expected features of this kind ever since HomeKit became a thing and was a way for Apple to take control over your smart home.
I should also mention that the “father of the iPod”, Tony Fadell has a company called Nest, that deals exactly with home automation and smoke alarms. They were bought by Google a while ago, but back to the news here, a recently uncovered patent seems to point to a new product from Apple. The documents mention using iPhones and iPads as smoke detectors. If they sense smoke, the devices will issue an alert or other actions of this type.
They’ll also transmit alerts to nearby electronic devices and remote devices at emergency facilities. This means that your iPad could alert the firemen and ambulance that there’s a fire at your place, if you’re incapacitated. It could also communicate with sprinklers, activating them. Of course, this is a secondary means of protection, outside of regular smoke detectors, that are so popular in USA.
