The next iOS 7 smartphone, possibly the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6, could come equipped with a sensor that adjust the volume level relative to the distance of the handset to that of a user.

Or during a call, the iPhone is placed on a desk and the unit automatically shifts to speaker mode.

These exciting iPhone capabilities are embodied in a newly-approved Apple patent titled 'Adjustment of acoustic properties based on proximity detection', Apple Insider said in a new report.

Simply put, "the iPhone's proximity sensor is employed to calculate distance from a user, which is then applied to dynamically adjust volume," the same report said.

Not exactly a new technology, there is a high chance that the system will be deployed in time for the separate iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 release dates since "the hardware needed to deploy the tech is either readily available or already found in existing models," Apple Insider stressed.

The new method of dynamic audio mode and volume level control in a handset would help accelerate the reported introduction of touch-free manipulation on future iPhone iterations.

Specifically, the new Apple patent is in line with an earlier suggestion that the iPhone 6 design could bring in a device with a continuous display screen, navigated through invisible or disappearing buttons.

The core functions of the new system are governed by "frequency and gain adjustment based on proximity and environment ... and controlled by various circuitry arrangements involving filters, amplifiers and audio splitters," the report said.

Sensors to work with the new method are infrared, light and camera sensors, which as mentioned above are already widely-deployed in many iOS devices.