As we get closer to the iPhone X's launch on Friday, November 3, more tidbits about the device are beginning to emerge thanks to the first wave of impressions, reviews, and hands-on coverage that hit this morning. Within his first impressions, Steven Levy shared an interesting aspect of the iPhone X's software, which turns on hiding text previews for your notifications by default instead of making you turn this privacy feature on yourself.

As an explanation, with the launch of iOS 11 Apple introduced a way for you to hide text previews of all apps at once within Settings. With this turned on, you'll notice when you have a notification for apps like Messages and Snapchat, but the actual content of the notification is hidden until you "unlock" the iPhone with Touch ID or a passcode. Then, you can read the content, and tap the Home Button to enter your iPhone. This feature has to be turned on manually on current iPhones.

faceidmessagesunlock

After Face ID unlock, iPhone X will show text previews in notifications

According to Levy, iOS 11 on the iPhone X defaults to hiding text previews for all of your apps, automatically providing an extra bit of privacy for users on the new smartphone. So, when you raise the iPhone X in front of you, it'll unlock with Face ID, and any notifications will then be filled out to show the full content of each message. This way, if someone picks up your iPhone and looks at it, Face ID won't unlock and show notification previews. Of course, you can revert to the traditional text previews functionality in Settings.

Levy said that he used this feature as a way to confirm that Face ID had unlocked the iPhone X. Here's the part from his review concerning text previews on the iPhone X Lock Screen:

I then see if the little lock icon on the screen has released its latch. Alternatively, a good way to see when you’ve been recognized is to notice the generic messages on the lock screen saying “you have a notification” from Facebook, Gmail, or wherever. When you and your iPhone X make that turn-on connection, those flesh out with the actual content of the message. (This feature—withholding potentially private alerts until the phone was unlocked—had previously been available as an option but now is the default.)

It's also worth noting that sometimes the iPhone X review unit would unlock with Face ID and go "straight to where [Levy] left off," while other times the UI asked him to swipe up to unlock the iPhone X, as has been showcased in marketing for the smartphone. Levy didn't have an explanation for this part of his experience with the new iPhone, further stating that he was "mystified" as to why it would sometimes say swipe up after Face ID unlock, and other times simply open the iPhone.

Check out more information on the iPhone X in our Roundup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

offdutyrockstar Avatar
80 months ago
If the phone autolocked, it goes straight to where it was.

If it was manually locked with the side button, you swipe up.

It's really not that difficult, this geezer must get mystified often.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
80 months ago
It makes sense. I like this feature as it's currently easy for anyone to preview my messages
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
80 months ago
This is clever, I didn’t even know it was a feature on iOS 11. Just enabled it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
80 months ago
Don't see why this is an issue. I wouldn't want them visible by default.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
csurfr Avatar
80 months ago
Thank you. I’m assuming the one iPhone X is using here is ‘When Unlocked?’
Yep, and it works the exact same way on my 7+.

As long as you don’t change the accessibility option for the home button to “rest finger to open”, the notification will change to displaying the contents once you authenticate with Touch ID. Works well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
testcard Avatar
80 months ago
If the phone autolocked, it goes straight to where it was.

If it was manually locked with the side button, you swipe up.

It's really not that difficult, this geezer must get mystified often.
Makes sense.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....