Apple Patents Driver Distraction Lockdown Mode For iPhones

Apple has been granted a new patent by the USPTO (via AppleInsider), and it’s one that could potentially prevent a lot of careless driving. The tech described in the patent would use a phone’s on-board sensors, or a direct connection to a car using a technology like Bluetooth to limit the device’s functionality, cutting off access to stuff like SMS and email while you’re actually driving.

The patent would use information from the accelerometer and other onboard sensors to automatically determine when a car is in motion and when it’s at rest, and lock/unlock features accordingly. Some cars already feature similar functionality for onboard features, like preventing you from going through the laborious and distracting process of pairing a Bluetooth phone with a car while you’re actually moving. Apple’s system could also use direct input from a car to determine when it is and isn’t moving.

There’s also a provision described that would make it possible for the device to be used in a car by someone other than the driver. This feature is described as using visual input (i.e. a photo from the iPhone’s camera) to determine who’s a driver and who’s not behind the wheel, and then using its sensor data to determine where in the vehicle it’s being used. If used by a passenger, functions would unlock and be available for use.

The system described isn’t just about driving, however; it includes provisions for similar features integrated into a parental security mode, allowing functions like SMS to require a password or others authentication for use. Apple already lets users lock out certain functions on the iPhone via passcode, so this would likely be an extension of the range of those functions.

The truth is it would probably be unlikely for Apple to build something like this into its devices at this stage. The company seems to be more intent on offering drivers safer options for communication as found in the Siri-powered CarPlay integration Apple debuted with iOS 7.1. Actually locking out specific functions would, sadly, probably just frustrate a significant portion of users, even if it did result in safer smartphone use while driving. Look for the company to pursue more smartphone-assisted communication options with future versions of CarPlay instead.

China’s iOS Usage Spiked With New iPhones, But Increase Driven By Older Models, Mixpanel Finds

A new report about the state of iOS usage in China from mobile analytics firm Mixpanel reveals a lot of interesting info about how one of Apple’s most important international markets is adopting its mobile OS. The good news is that iOS usage overall is rising quickly, especially over the past year – but that increase in usage isn’t necessarily coming from the sale of brand new hardware.

The iPhone 5s and 5c launched in China in September last year, for the first time simultaneous with the North American launch. Mixpanel saw a considerable uptick in iOS usage in the country begin at that time, but the most growth came from the iPhone 5, not the newer devices. This is likely because the 5 became a lot cheaper as soon as new hardware was made official, which is backed up by the fact that once again, when China Mobile unveiled its iPhone 5s and 5c launch in January of this year, there was a growth spike attributable mostly to the iPhone 5.

Mixpanel says the takeaway is that Apple manages to increase interest in its platform overall with launches in China, and not necessarily to the device(s) which are actually new to the launch itself. But it could also suggest that price sensitivity in these markets is a very real concern, and one that might result in a lot of new device sales if Apple actually ventured into the lower cost device market (the iPhone 5c, while spun by some as that, actually didn’t drive Apple’s usual pricing down compared to past launches).

The traffic- and engagement-tracking startup also analyzed usage distribution in China, and found that iOS devices were used over a large portion of the country, with over 40 percent of its data coming from 783 cities. Major metropolitan areas understandably generated the most usage, which Mixpanel says is due to network coverage as well as average income.

What’s interesting is that high GDP isn’t strictly tied to greater usage – Tianjin has the highest GDP in the region, but only sends 2.5 percent of China’s iOS data through Mixpanel’s product, for instance. Nor does population tie directly to higher use; Shanghai and Beijing are neck and neck in population and iOS usage, but Guangdong (which has three times the population and houses Shenzen) has almost the same iOS usage, pointing once again to income as a moderating factor.

For more about this unique look behind the curtain at iOS activity in China, check out Mixpanel’s full blog post detailing the report.