ApplePatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 4/10

Apple patents sharing device settings between users

Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a system where an electronic device can switch between different user profiles by pulling specific settings from another device. The owner can allow the main device to receive this data, enabling it to change its configuration to match the new user's preferences.

Why it mattersThis could make it easier for families or shared workspaces to use a single device without manually resetting personal preferences each time a different person picks it up.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device operates using first registration data while a first user is using the device and operates using second registration data while a second user is using the device. The owner of the electronic device can permit the electronic device to receive second registration data from an electronic device that is associated with the second user.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device, comprising: memory; one or more input devices; and one or more processors coupled to the memory and the one or more input devices, the one or more processors configured to: while logged into an account of a first user: while operating in a mode configured for the first user, receive, using the one or more input devices, an input corresponding to a request to operate in a mode for another user; and determine whether user registration data for a second user, different from the first user, is available from a second electronic device; in accordance with a determination that user registration data for the second user is available from a second electronic device: receive, from the second electronic device, the user registration data for the second user; and operate in a mode configured for the second user using the user registration data for the second user.

Facts

Company: Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title: SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SPECIFYING CONFIGURATIONS OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Publication number: US20260303774A1
Application number: 19701411
Filed: Jun 8, 2026
Published: Oct 1, 2026
Inventors: 2
Claims: 18

Classified under

H04N 13/327 Electricity & electronicsG06F 3/013 Physics & computingG06F 3/017 Physics & computing

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Apple in Phones & computers

Apple patents foldable screen that warns you if you bend it too fast Sep 15, 2026
Apple patents a button that senses pressure in three directions Oct 13, 2026
Apple patents car key features inside its digital wallet app Sep 1, 2026
Apple patents side button that vibrates sideways when pressed Sep 1, 2026
Apple patents tablet cover that uses fabric to control folding angle Sep 15, 2026

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.