Apple is working on a way to make iPhones waterproof, so maybe next time your phone drops in the toilet it won't be deadly.
The company was just granted a patent for a design that would make electronic "components within a computing device" water resistant. The application doesn't specify which Apple products the plans pertain to.
By protecting parts on the inside, a phone may have a better chance of surviving a dip in the pool.
Since the waterproofing is internal, that would set it apart from other waterproof smartphones already on the market, which often come with a more durable casing than non-waterproof models.
The Samsung Galaxy S5, for example, is water resistant because it has a more protective case that doesn't let water get inside. But Samsung is losing the plastic shell for its next model, the Galaxy S6. The new frame will be aluminum -- which means this new model won't be water resistant.
Apple (AAPL) did not respond to a request for comment. But execs there seem to think that their new design would be more effective than a waterproof encasing.
"While bulky cases have had a certain amount of success at mitigating water entry ... a protective case is of little or no value once water has entered a device housing," it wrote in its patent application.
