Apple?s next big thing could be locking reckless drivers out of their cars

Your iPhone could be your new best drinking buddy – and your safest one tooApple is considering locking you out of your car – and for good reason.A new patent uncovered by Patently Apple shows the iPhone maker looking to enhance its Car Keys feature (which uses NFC to turn your iPhone or Apple Watch into a digital car key) by introducing a breathalyzer feature built into your phone.Designed to deter drinking and driving, it would lock a user out of their car if high levels of blood alcohol are recognised by the phone, watch or connected accessory.It builds on an earlier patent, revealed in early 2021, which would see the iPhone and Apple Watch tap into “database information” that would “contain information pertaining to human breath characteristics such as typical ammonia levels, acceptable alcohol levels for driving, etc. But with two patents in relatively quick succession looking at drink driving, it would appear Apple is taking this one seriously.Gerald is the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output.