Apple introduced the Flashlight feature for Apple Watch in 2018. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a follow-up patent application from Apple that adds a feature to the Flashlight feature. For those not familiar with this feature for Apple Watch, Apple published a video as presented below explaining the basics. Apple's support page covering the Flashlight feature for Apple Watch shows that it's a multi-stage process to turn on this feature. Apple's patent reveals that wrist orientation may be advanced to turn on Flashlight and change the intensity of the light with wrist gestures. 

The new feature for the Flashlight feature for Apple Watch is presented below in patent FIGS. 6G-6J. In these figures device #600 (Apple Watch) switches between first flashlight user interface #630 and second flashlight user interface #640 based at least in part on the orientation of Apple Watch.

In some embodiments, the Flashlight feature is controlled using rotation of Apple Watch from one orientation to another (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or vice versa).

In some embodiments, the brightness change criteria includes an orientation detection criterion that is met by detecting a change in orientation of Apple Watch and/or an orientation value criterion that is met when the orientation of Apple Watch is a predetermined orientation.

In some embodiments, the brightness change criteria are met if at least one of the detection change criterion and the orientation value criterion is met. In some embodiments, the brightness change criteria are met only if both the detection change criterion and the orientation value criterion are met.

Optionally, the predetermined orientation is set to an orientation that indicates that the Apple Watch display is pointed away from the user and/or is likely being used to illuminate the surrounding environment (e.g., display #602 is facing downward).

To review the patent behind the Flashlight feature for Apple Watch and its possible future features, check out Apple's patent application number US 20220351702 A1.