The technology is officially known as “Electronic Devices with Body Composition Analysis,” according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s March 2 publication.
“Health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user’s general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals,” Apple wrote in the patent.
“That’s a nice way of saying when you put on weight, your iPhone is going to tell you about it,” AppleInsider noted.
The technology could also be used to collect and compare data from multiple people to study how and why body compositions change over time, as well as for identification purposes like Apple’s Face ID, according to the story.
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