Add a barometer to the list of rumored iPhone 6 sensors

iPhone compass
iOS 8 might be more useful to explorers

Apple might be preparing the perfect storm of wearables, health apps and smartphone sensors for its fall line-up.

The latest rumor claims the iPhone 6 will have a barometer/air pressure sensor, making it useful for mountain climbing, hiking and a whole bunch of other intensive activities you will probably never actually use it for.

Developers discovered hints about the possibility of an iPhone 6 barometer in iOS 8 and the latest version of Xcode 6, which reportedly have new APIs that refer to hardware-based altitude measuring capabilities.

With help from these developers, 9to5Mac tested the API in question on the iPhone 5S and received a negative result, indicating that the feature will likely be launched on future iOS devices.

A first time for everything

In addition the site discovered references to ambient pressure tracking capabilities in iOS 8, lending more credence to these assumptions.

Barometers, which measure air pressure, temperature and other weather-related data, are already found in several Android devices. But the iPhone 6 would be the first Apple gadget to have one.

However all these features could easily be rolled into the iOS compass app to make it less useless.

Combined with the rumored iWatch and the HealthKit features arriving in iOS 8 in the fall, Apple's ecosystem of devices could soon comprise the perfect arsenal for daredevils and adrenaline junkies.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.