Apple's Over-Ear Headphones Will Support Volume Controls via Touch Gestures

Apple has been granted a new patent today for their upcoming over-ear headphones with support for impact gestures and headphone rotation detection.

The patent, spotted by Patently Apple tree, goes into detail on the touch-based input surface of the new headphones. The surface volition detect taps and swipes to perform various actions such as changing volume or playing and pausing music.

The systems and methods described herein may exist used, for example, to detect a gesture (due east.g., a swipe) received as user input on a bear upon interface of the headphones, such equally a touch interface integrated into an ear piece. The gesture may exist made in a item direction, such equally down toward Earth. Yet, headphones may be worn in a plurality of configurations, such as upright with the headband around the top of the head, downward with the headband around the dorsum of the neck, or anywhere in between. Thus, the systems and methods described herein may be used to determine the rotation of the headphones in social club to properly define the intended gesture and perform an intended event.

The headphones will as well be wearable in unlike positions, such as with the ring behind the user's head. In such a situation, the headphones will adjust the orientation of the touch surface in the ear cups, and interpret input gestures accordingly.

I of the biggest complaints that AirPods users have is that they practise not support volume controls. Users have to use their iOS device or Mac to adjust the volume or inquire Siri to change it, neither of which is user-friendly. This can be attributed to the small-scale size of AirPods, which do not support whatsoever such gestures, merely Apple also does not let users to configure the tap gesture on AirPods, or forcefulness touch gesture on AirPods Pro, to change the volume.

With its rumored upcoming over-ear headphones, Apple tree seems to be working on implementing this basic feature. Still, non every technology filed in patents by Apple is actually implemented into products.

Apple is expected to announce its over-ear headphones, likely to exist called AirPods Studio before the end of this yr. They will exist modular headphones and will compete against the likes of Bose, at a price of $349.