Latest iOS 17 update leak; Always-on display on iPhone 14 Pro to get smart features

With just ten days to go for the Apple Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) 2023, we are really close to the unveiling of iOS 17. But even at the eleventh hour, the leaks are not stopping. A new report has revealed that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the only iPhone devices to flaunt an always-on display, will get new functionalities. As per the report, when the smartphones are locked and kept in landscape mode, they will show widgets with information, just like a smart display.

The report comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman who explained that these features are intended to give a smart display-like functionality to iPhones, when not in use. He said, “The view will appear when an iPhone is locked and positioned horizontally, operating similarly to dedicated displays offered by Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Amazon.com Inc., according to people familiar with the project. The idea is to make iPhones more useful when they're, for example, lying on a person's desk or nightstand”.

iOS 17 to improve always-on display

According to Gurman, this feature is only activated when the smartphone is locked and it is kept horizontally (landscape orientation). The always-on display for iOS is a bit different than how Android smartphones use the functionality. Instead of a blacked-out display with just the information (which can include a clock, calendar, widgets, and animations) showing, Apple's always-on display dims out the wallpaper and shows time, notifications, and up to five widgets.

While it was an improvement over its predecessors, many had criticized the always-on functionality for being not efficient and gimmicky. These new features are now likely to give those users something to be happy about.

The report also mentioned that the new display will present information such as “calendar appointments, the weather, and notifications in the style of a smart-home display”. The text will be brightened and the background further darkened in order to improve the legibility of the information.