Apple may be testing Elon Musk’s Neuralink-like technology to allow users to control their iPhones

Apple is reportedly testing a technology similar to Elon Musk’s Neuralink that will allow users to control their iPhones with their brains. This technology will help the Cupertino-based tech giant enable iPhone users to control their devices using neural signals captured by brain implants, a report claims. With this technology, Apple could improve accessibility for individuals unable to use their hands due to severe spinal cord injuries or diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This became possible after implants from companies like Musk’s Neuralink received FDA approval. In January, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO announced Neuralink has sucessfully implanted its device in third patient. These implants, known as brain-computer interfaces, have already been safely placed in some patients. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, this new capability will allow Apple devices to detect user intentions from decoded brain signals without observing specific movements. The company has collaborated with a startup named Synchron on this new standard.Synchron makes a stent-like device, the Stentrode, implanted in a vein on top of the brain’s motor cortex. The Stentrode has electrodes that read brain signals and translate them into selecting icons on a screen.Apple took a similar step in 2014 by launching a technology standard for hearing aids to communicate with iPhones via Bluetooth. This standard has since been widely adopted by hearing aids.Mark Jackson, who lives with ALS near Pittsburgh, recently experienced a virtual stroll along a Swiss Alps ridge thanks to a Synchron Stentrode implant linked to an Apple Vision Pro headset. Although he cannot physically stand or travel, Jackson is learning to control his iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro by translating his brain waves into screen inputs via the Stentrode’s 16 electrodes and Apple’s “switch control” accessibility feature. However, he cautions that the system is still in its early stages, with navigation markedly slower than conventional mouse or touchscreen use.The WSJ report cites Synchron CEO Tom Oxley, who acknowledges that existing brain-computer interfaces must masquerade as standard input devices and says Apple plans to release a dedicated interface standard later this year. To compare, Neuralink’s N1 implant, which features over 1,000 electrodes placed inside the brain, has already enabled faster thought-driven cursor movement.Since 2019, Synchron has implanted Stentrodes in ten patients. Morgan Stanley estimates roughly 150,000 Americans with severe upper-limb impairments could benefit from such devices, forecasting the first commercial approval around 2030, though Oxley believes Synchron may clear regulatory hurdles sooner.