Walking and texting could soon become a lot less dangerous thanks to Apple.
The firm has patented a system to show live video in the background when a user is sending a message.
It would avoid embarrassing and potentially dangerous accidents.
The patent, which was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, uses the phone’s camera to ‘continuously capture and present the video images in the background of the texting session so that the device’s user can continuously be aware of the environment beyond the device’s display while still focusing on the text message being communicated.’
The display’s inventor is listed as Stephen Payne of Waterford, Michigan.
The patent also hints at other uses of the technology, allowing users to stream the video behind a web browser or app.
The patent suggests that the technology is fully functional but there is no indication when, or even if, Apple would roll out the feature.
‘A user who is walking while participating in a text messaging session may inadvertently collide with or stumble over objects in his path because his attention was focused on his device’s display instead of the path that he was traversing,’ according to the patent filing.
The latest version of iOS 7 already includes transparent overlays, such as when a user pulls down notifications from the top of the home screen.
There are apps on the market that allow users to type over an image of their surroundings, but they require them to copy and paste the text into the relevant application, such as Twitter or the text message function.
