iPhone 14 Pro Rumored to Feature Always-On Display Mode

The iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max may feature an always-on display mode for the Lock Screen, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

iOS 14 Always on Display Feature
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman outlined some of the changes set to come to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and macOS 13 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year. Among the new capabilities rumored for ‌iOS 16‌ is an enhanced Lock Screen with "wallpapers that have widget-like capabilities." The Lock Screen improvements reportedly set the groundwork for future features, including an "always-on" mode. Indeed, Gurman said that ‌iOS 16‌ actively includes "future support" for an always-on Lock Screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro models were rumored to feature an always-on display last year, but the feature was seemingly scrapped before the devices launched in September 2021. Gurman claims that Apple has continued to work on the feature and an "always-on mode" is now in development for the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max, providing "quickly glanceable information — similar to newer Apple Watches."

The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max were the first iPhones to come with 120Hz ProMotion displays, enabled by the adoption of LTPO panel technology with variable refresh rates. The iPhone's current ProMotion displays are limited to screen refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz. On the other hand, LPTO panels used by the likes of Oppo and Samsung can drop to as low as 1Hz when viewing a static image or when the device is inactive.

Well-connected display analyst Ross Young recently said that he is "expecting" the ProMotion displays used in the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max to be capable of dropping to the same low of 1Hz, effectively removing the hardware limitation that prevents Apple from offering an always-on mode on the ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro models. Nevertheless, Gurman caveated that the feature may not make the final cut by the time the iPhone 14 lineup is announced in September.

Related Roundup: iPhone 14 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
14 months ago
The real abomination is that in 2022 (soon 2023), Apple still refuses to let iCloud Mail sync notification badges between iOS and macOS.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
14 months ago
Useful for the time I guess…

Seems equally likely to just keep people even more locked in and always paying attention to their phone

I’ve been at some dinners where things were literally worse just because somebody has their phone on the table. I also have a couple friends who have boxes in their house where both parents have to agree to stash their phone each night so they can actually have some quality family time that’s not interrupted by calls, texts, notifications or just the pull to do something on the device.

It’s incredible how distracting and damaging these devices are to normal in person human interactions and activities
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
System603 Avatar
14 months ago
Long overdue.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshwenke Avatar
14 months ago
Will it be able to detect if it's in your pocket? I could see always-on being great if your phone is sitting on a table or desk, but if it's in your pocket surely the battery drain and heat wouldn't be worth it to have the display on?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aeternitas Avatar
14 months ago
I will quickly turn this off. Just like I did on my Apple Watch.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John Connor Avatar
14 months ago
It's all feeling a little bit...stagnant to me. Hmm.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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