(Credit: Joseph Maldonado/PCMag)
You can officially control an Apple device with your thoughts, as long as you have the Stentrode brain implant made by NYC-based Synchron.
First announced in May, the capability connects brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to Apple products through a Bluetooth connection. It works with iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS, so that means iPads, iPhones, and the Vision Pro can recognize a BCI just like a keyboard or mouse.
Apple designed it to be a standard connection for all implants, including Elon Musk's Neuralink, but Synchron is the first to offer the capability to its patients.
In a video on Synchron's YouTube channel, patient Mark Jackson, who has ALS, uses his Stentrode implant to control his iPad "entirely by thought," Synchron says. He can "navigate the iPad home screen, open apps, and compose text all without using his hands, voice, or eyes."
As a new feature, there are likely still some kinks to work out, but the ability to seamlessly connect with a widely used consumer device improves the patient experience.
"When I lost the use of my hands, I thought I had lost my independence,” says Jackson. "Now, with my iPad, I can message my loved ones, read the news, and stay connected with the world, just by thinking. It’s given me part of my life back."
(Credit: Synchron)To be fair, patients with the Synchron Stentrode or Neuralink N1 could already connect to Apple devices, but through nonstandard connections built by Synchron or Neuralink. The significance of the new hookup is that it is an official way for BCI companies to tap into Apple devices, enabling a new set of Apple-supported features.
The last major video Synchron released in early 2025 showed a patient named Rodney connecting to the Apple Vision Pro, although he told us in a separate interview that he finds the headset too heavy to use often (our analyst agrees).
A big new component of the upgraded Apple experience is the signal strength meter, which appears on the screen when Jackson thinks about selecting an icon or app. A blue box appears over the app to show him how strong the connection is and measure whether he will be able to select it successfully. The stronger the signal, the more blue shading appears within the box.
"Signal strength is a game changer because it gives patients real-time insight into how well their thoughts are being detected by the system," says Kurt Haggstrom, COO of Synchron. "If a patient sees low signal strength before selecting something, they might take a moment to refocus their attention or re-engage their motor intent. In some cases, they may reposition their body slightly, especially if fatigue or posture is affecting signal quality. Over time, patients learn what works best for them, making the system feel more intuitive and responsive."
CEO Dr. Tom Oxley likens the feature to "how you can see your hand move toward the coffee cup before you grab it," like knowing you're going in the right direction. It gives the patient more insight into how well they and their implant are working together, without needing to work with trained clinicians to troubleshoot performance.
"Mark’s experience is a technical breakthrough, and a glimpse into the future of human-computer interaction, where cognitive input becomes a mainstream mode of control," says Oxley. We got a rare tour of Synchron's office and technology in July, where Oxley described the Apple connection as the result of working with Cupertino for years to refine and test the product on Synchron patients.
Although the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved BCIs for sale, and only patients with severe paralysis have tried them, Synchron hopes to one day make them widely available as consumer tech.
The Apple integration "marks a critical step in making BCI technology practical, scalable, and integrated into the global consumer ecosystem, moving beyond clinical trials into everyday life," Synchron says.