Apple’s upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max may finally feature an always-on display. According to a report, Apple may include the feature in iOS 16, allowing the iPhone to display limited information even when it is locked.
According to reports, the iPhone’s version of always-on mode will work similarly to how it does on the Apple Watch Series 5 and up — with always-on mode enabled, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will reduce the frame rate of the lock screen, allowing them to conserve energy while the display remains powered on. It’s unclear whether the new iPhone will use the same low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display found in Apple’s newer Watch models. Because they are designed to keep devices from consuming too much power, these low-powered screens play a significant role in making the always-on mode work properly.
Analysts predicted last year that the iPhone 13 would include an LTPO display to enable an always-on display. For many years, a number of Android devices have supported always-on mode. An always-on display, for example, on certain Samsung devices can show the time, battery level, widgets, and other information while the phone is locked.
We anticipate that iOS 16 will include similar features, such as wallpapers with “widget-like capabilities.” Previous leaks indicate that Apple may only include its new A16 chip with the two premium devices, so the always-on display isn’t the only feature said to be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple is expected to make a number of other changes at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6th. According to Gurman, Apple may introduce enhanced windowing and multitasking features on the iPad, in line with previous predictions. He cites research by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who recently discovered that Apple may be working on a feature that would allow users to freely resize windows. Apple may also redesign some of its apps — in addition to adding new audio features to Messages, Gurman predicts Apple will redesign its System Preferences menu to look more like the iOS Settings app.
With WWDC just over a week away, we won’t have to wait long to see how many of these predictions come true.
