Apple wants you to be able to assemble your various devices into ‘dynamic groups’

Apple has filed for a patent (number US 20230259276 A1) for “device group membership for devices.” It involves the ability to more easily assemble your various Apple devices into “dynamic groups.”

In the patent filing, Apple notes that a user that owns multiple devices (Macs, iPhones, iPads, etc.) with overlapping functionality is becoming increasingly common. Smartphones, tablets, and computers all access the web, allow a user to process photos, etc., and users tend to have several such devices. 

This means a user wanting to share data between their devices and have access to data on multiple devices is increasingly common as well. Users may commonly use all sorts of different techniques to transfer data between devices, such as flash memory sticks, e-mail, etc. 

However, more efficient techniques for automatically sharing data between a user’s devices are desired. Apple thinks that one solution is “dynamic groups.” This involves a method for a first device that identifies definitions of different groups of devices, each of which is defined by a set of properties required for a device to be a member. 

The method monitors properties of the first device to determine when the device is eligible for membership in a group. When the first device is eligible for membership in a first group of which the device is not a member, the method sends an application for membership in the first group signed with at least a private key of the device to at least one other device that is a member of the first group. 

When the first device becomes ineligible for membership in a second group of which the first device is a member, the method removes the device from the second group and notifies other devices that are members of the second group.”