If you're like me, you probably need to keep your phone in a case of some sort to keep it from being seen dead Whether you want basic protection, a refreshed look, or a little more practical appeal, there is no shortage of choices in the world But the future wave of iPhone cases may be much more useful than the current choices

Apple has filed a patent for a new kind of smart iPhone case that could add many additional features to your phone The ability to convert regular buttons into capacitive buttons, mysterious new sliding gestures, and perhaps even Touch ID That's right, Touch ID could finally make a comeback on the iPhone

The patent description states that “detecting the presence of a case can disable one or more buttons and perform an action corresponding to the button when a signal is received from the case” Presumably this would be a very simple process, utilizing an NFC chip built into the case itself Similar to what Samsung is doing with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 Flipsuit case, the phone detects different cards via NFC and changes the UI accordingly

An added benefit of this is that NFC does not require power This means that there is no need to forget to charge the phone case or to drain power from the phone's battery while in use

The patent also claims to reduce the air gap between the iPhone and the case In other words, Apple may be able to eliminate the air gap altogether by incorporating capacitive buttons in the case itself that send electronic signals to the phone without actively pressing the buttons

In addition, the new device will include features such as detecting inputs such as sliding gestures and long presses, as well as authenticating fingerprints This would be a big win for those of us hoping that Apple will bring back Touch ID to the flagship iPhone It would be nice to see an iPad-style Touch ID power button, but as long as this smart case doesn't turn into a FineWoven-level disaster, it could be a good compromise

Unfortunately, just because Apple filed a patent does not mean that this is the product that will actually be released And even if Apple intends to make these cases a reality, there is no telling when it will happen Therefore, it is unlikely that we will see these cases debut with the iPhone 16 at Apple's “Glowtime” event on September 9