David Hanak The U.S. Patent Office has published a newly granted Apple patent that hints at the path the AirDrop communication protocol, or rather its successor, could take.
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Petr Škuta AirDrop has been with us for some time now, and it can be expected with great certainty that Apple is working diligently on an update to it, or even on a completely new successor. A recently granted patent could be related to it, which describes a completely new form of communication between devices.
The patent is labeled "Device awareness" and describes a special system that enables devices to communicate with each other permanently if they are in a certain space. Devices equipped with this system can "scan" their surroundings in real time and register other devices equipped with this technology, also with regard to their exact location. If the devices are connected encrypted, they will be able to share information with each other.
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The new system should be revolutionary, especially in the speed of the entire process and response to changes. It should also work with optical sensors in devices that would thus have the ability to "see" in a way. Based on all available hardware, future iPhones and iPads should be able to communicate with each other and recognize their location, as well as the location of other devices within range and in a certain field of view. In addition to data sharing, this technology should also work as part of an augmented reality superstructure. However, it is not known to what extent this patent will appear in practice.
Source: Patently Apple
