Mobile Tech

Apple Strengthens Sensor Technology with Acquisition of Sonera

Published

6 seconds ago

September 13, 2026

Apple has completed the acquisition of Sonera, a company specializing in developing a chip-based magnetic sensor. While Apple typically keeps its acquisitions private, this particular acquisition was disclosed on the European Union’s website due to regulatory requirements:

Apple Inc. (“Apple”), through a subsidiary, has acquired specific assets from Sonera, Inc. (“Sonera”) and intends to offer employment to certain Sonera employees. Sonera’s focus lies in the development of a chip-based magnetic sensor. Apple, along with its affiliated companies, is known for designing, manufacturing, and marketing smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, accessories, and various related services.

A press release from Sonera in 2023, uncovered by MacRumors, sheds more light on the matter:

Sonera has created a novel sensing modality that allows for non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields produced by the human body, contrasting with the common electrical sensing methods used today. This unique technology has the potential to simplify the measurement of brain activity, similar to how heart rate and temperature are currently monitored, enabling insights into movement, health, thoughts, and emotions.

The press release also mentions Sonera’s proprietary S1 chip for muscle sensing, which is set to revolutionize consumer wearables and experiences based on muscle activity. This chip will detect magnetic fields generated by neural activity’s electrical currents, providing high-quality signals without the need for direct skin contact as with traditional electrical sensors.

Sonera anticipates that the S1 chip will facilitate applications such as advanced prosthetics control, identification of disease biomarkers, continuous monitoring of neuromuscular conditions, and tracking sport performance.

While the progress made by Sonera since the 2023 press release remains unknown, it has evidently captured Apple’s attention.

Notably, Sonera is not Apple’s sole acquisition in 2026, as indicated on the EU website, which lists several other acquisitions:

PlasmaSolve s.r.o., a company specializing in developing solutions, including plasma simulation software, to optimize manufacturing processes utilizing plasma.
MotionVFX sp. z o.o., known for developing and providing plugins and visual effects software for integration into third-party video editing programs.
SigScalr, Inc., focused on developing a data log management and observability tool.
Rabbit 3 Times, Inc. d/b/a Play, offering iOS and macOS tools for real-time design, prototyping, and SwiftUI code generation.
Q (Cue) Ltd, engaged in developing sensor-based technology for speech, biometric, and audio interfaces.
Animato, Inc., known for developing and distributing software for creating virtual avatars for video chats and tutoring.
Patchflyer GmbH, creator of Color.io, a web-based application for color management and grading of digital imaging.
PromptAI, focused on developing visual intelligence for home applications.

Initially, Sonera’s technology appears capable of enhancing the health and accessibility features of the Apple Watch, although confirmation awaits the release of a product incorporating the technology.

Utilizing what this author terms the SWAG method (Scientific Wild-Ass Guess), let’s speculate freely. Perhaps the technology could enhance the gaming controllers Apple might be developing. Considering that the ANBERNIC RG G01 gaming controller can monitor heart rate during gameplay, Sonera’s technology could offer a similar functionality in an Apple controller. While integrating the technology into the Apple Watch seems more practical, the gaming controller idea is intriguing, isn’t it?

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