Apple Watch’s hidden port can be used for charging

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This hidden port may be the key to future Apple Watch accessories.
Apple Watch's secret port could be the key to accessories. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch owners may have noticed there’s a tiny port hidden inside the groove of the bottom band connector. Before the watch’s release there was some speculations whether the port just be used for diagnostics, but the Reserve Strap have discovered third-parties can use it to recharge the smartwatch.

The company originally developed an Apple Watch battery band that used the inductive charge to transfer power. Now that they’ve had time to dissect the Apple Watch they’ve found out you can just transfer battery power straight through the port, and they’ve come up with a much more elegant design to work with it.

” We’ve developed and tested a completely rethought design that takes advantage of the 6 pin port underneath the band slide of the Apple Watch. This port hadn’t been deciphered by anyone until now but we’ve been able to make significant enough observations so far to warrant shifting our development focus to this new method”

apple-watch-reserve-strap

Apple hasn’t even acknowledged the existence of the port in user guides or other documentation on its website. Whether or not the company will actually allow third-parties to produce accessories for the port is still unknown, but Reserve Strap is plunging forward with their new design.

A tool to open the metal door covering the port isn’t included with the Apple Watch, though it looks similar to SIM ejector on an iPhone. Reserve Strap is already taking pre-orders for its $249 battery bands, but we’d be cautious before handing over money. An future Watch OS firmware update could cripple or disable the port from third-parties, so it’s best to wait until we get official world from Cupertino.

Source: Reserve Strap

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