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ApplePatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Apple patents smart location logging to save battery while tracking your path

Apple describes a method where a device predicts when you might want to see where you have been and records your location accordingly. The system adjusts how often it checks your position to balance useful data with battery life, using clues about your habits to decide when to log your movement.

Why it mattersThis could make location-based features like 'Find My' or travel maps more efficient by only recording data when it is likely to be useful, rather than constantly draining the battery.

In the filing’s own words

Techniques for proactive recording of positioning information are described herein. In an example, a process may include predicting a user request for historical positioning information based at least in part on contextual user data. The process may also include detecting a user intention indicative of the user request for the historical positioning information. The process may also include performing periodic requests for the historical positioning information in accordance with power capabilities of a user device and based at least in part on the user intention. The process may also include providing at least a portion of the historical positioning information for presentation at the user device.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A user device, comprising: one or more memories configured to store computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to access the one or more memories and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least: predict a user request for historical positioning information based at least in part on contextual user data; detect a user intention indicative of the user request for the historical positioning information; perform periodic requests for positioning information to be included in the the historical positioning information in accordance with power capabilities of the user device and based at least in part on the user intention; and provide at least a portion of the historical positioning information for presentation at the user device.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc)
Official title
Proactive Recording of Locations for Backtracking
Publication number
US20260276777A1
Application number
19672127
Filed
May 8, 2026
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
20

Classified under

G01S 5/0284 Physics & computingH04W 64/003 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.