Apple has patented a technique that adjusts the volume of alerts on its Watch and iPhone devices based on the ambient volume of their surroundings. The sound level reading is taken from a microphone on the user's Watch, which is much better positioned to measure ambient volume that the user's smartphone, often residing in their bag or pocket. In Apple's patent application, it describes how an alert can be adjusted by adjusting the "loudness level" of the alert.
Apple has patented a technique that adjusts the volume of alerts on its Watch and iPhone devices based on the ambient volume of their surroundings. The sound level reading is taken from a microphone on the user's Watch, which is much better positioned to measure ambient volume that the user's smartphone, often residing in their bag or pocket. As always with patent applications, there's no guarantee that Apple will use this technology in a marketed device.