Apple has explored presenting iPhone users with non-dismissable notifications, such as requiring personal health data to be entered before resuming normal use of their device, in a concept that could help break bad habits.
The details were revealed in a newly published Apple patent application, discovered on Thursday by AppleInsider. Entitled "Notifications with Input-Based Completion," the filing describes prompts on an iPhone that would actively block access to using the device until certain data is entered.
The most prominent examples given by Apple in the filing are health-related. For example, screenshots show the user being prompted to check their weight or blood pressure through the iOS Reminders app.
Given Apple's recent launch of HealthKit and the accompanying Health app in iOS 8, along with the new fitness-focused Apple Watch, it's possible that Apple could use this method to encourage iPhone owners to keep up to date on the status of their health, rather than avoiding it.
In the application, Apple notes that data for these prompts can be received from connected third-party accessories. So in the case of checking blood pressure each day at 10 a.m., the data could be collected from an external sensor.
Other concepts presented by Apple include calories burnt per day, blood pressure, and body mass index. The system could also alert users when certain data exceeds a pre-set value, potentially helping the user to avoid serious health complications.
Of course, these non-dismissable alerts could also extend to actions beyond health data. In one example, the user is reminded to "take a picture of the construction," and the notification includes a quick link to the iPhone's camera.
Accompanying input boxes would also be found within the iOS Reminders app, with Apple showing text fields for blood pressure and weight, and as well as a camera button for the construction photo, next to the user-created tasks.
In the filing, Apple shows a new option for creating reminders entitled "Required User Input." Apple's concept also adds the ability to include tags, such as "Health" or "Projects," to reminders.
Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week, the proposed invention was originally filed by Apple in September of 2013. It is credited to Gencer Cili.