Apple is trying to turn iPhones and Apple Watches into smoke alarms
Apple's patent filings indicate that it is pressing ahead with its plan to build smart smoke detectors for the home, AppleInsider reports.
New patent filings show that Apple could be preparing to fit future models of iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches with small smoke detectors.
Right now the patent doesn't specifically outline how the smoke detectors will work. It explains that tiny detectors will be embedded in devices, and they could even work using the camera sensor.
The new patent filings follow other patents in November 2014 which outlined how Apple's smoke detector system would work.
Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads could all be used to detect smoke throughout a house, and could also use motion sensors to tell if a person was nearby. The devices would alert users to the presence of smoke, and could also contact emergency services.
Just because Apple has patented lots of different ideas for a smoke detector system doesn't mean that it's definitely going to happen, however. The company patents lots of different technologies that never make it to market, and it uses patents as a form of marketing and protection to stop competitors from building similar products.