The iPhone of the future may heal itself overnight

iPhone

Apple has been awarded patent technology for an iPhone that self-heals and self-cleans itself.

Filed with the US Patent and Trademark office back in July 2014, the Automated Maintenance of an Electronic Device patent describes a number of different ways the iPhone can heal and clean itself, including running an automatic, hours-long screen diagnostic overnight while you sleep to help fix dead pixels.

It can also run other diagnostics while you sleep, like testing the camera, as well as checking on the handset's components to make sure your phone is able to connect to the internet properly, make calls and send texts.

And while the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are water-resistant for up to an hour if immersed in water, Apple's patent also describes a way of getting water out of speakers if your handset does take a dunk by accident.

The tech would wait until you take your iPhone somewhere loud, like a concert, and then play out a special tone that would help to clear water in the speakers.

Of course, there's no guarantee any of this will end up in future iPhones (it's too late for the iPhone 7), and it's not the first self-healing tech Apple has patented.

Now if only there was a way for your iPhone to self-heal a shattered screen…

Via Redmond Pie