Hints of iPhone 14 Pro Always-On Display Found in iOS 16 Code
Ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that he expected the new iOS 16 operating system to support a future always-on display feature for the iPhone 14 Pro, and as it turns out, the iOS 16 code suggests the always-on display is indeed going to be implemented.

There are multiple references to an always-on display in iOS 16, as highlighted by 9to5Mac. There are a trio of new frameworks related to backlight management, a necessary part of an always-on display function. The frameworks mention an always-on display and are used by the Lock Screen and Springboard, suggesting that these mentions are not related to the existing Apple Watch always-on display.
The site says that there are also hidden flags within iOS 16 that allow Apple engineers to use the always-on display capability for testing purposes.
An always-on display has been rumored since always-on technology came to the Apple Watch, and it is a highly desired feature. It would let users see the time and other key iPhone information without needing to activate the screen.
The ProMotion displays planned for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are rumored to be capable of dropping to as low as 1Hz (down from 10Hz) to enable the always-on functionality without deeply impacting battery life.
Always-on display technology is likely going to be limited to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max because the standard iPhone 14 models are not expected to get the ProMotion displays necessary for the feature to work.
Related Stories
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.
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...
iPhone 14 Pro models are widely expected to feature always-on displays that allow users to view glanceable information without having to tap to wake the screen. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman said the feature will include support for iOS 16's new Lock screen widgets for weather, fitness, and more.
"Like the Apple Watch, the iPhone 14 Pro will be...
Last year's iPhone 13 Pro models were the first of Apple's smartphones to come with 120Hz ProMotion displays, and while the two iPhone 14 Pro models will continue to feature the technology, their screens could well boast expanded refresh rate variability this time round.
To bring ProMotion displays to the iPhone 13 Pro models, Apple adopted LTPO panel technology with variable refresh...
Apple's upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models will feature slightly larger screen sizes compared to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, according to information shared by display industry consultant Ross Young.
When measured as a standard rectangular shape, Young said the iPhone 14 Pro will have a 6.12-inch screen, compared to a 6.06-inch screen on the iPhone 13 Pro....
With many customers choosing to upgrade their iPhone every two or three years nowadays, there are lots of iPhone 11 Pro users who might be interested in upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro later this year. Those people are in for a treat, as three years of iPhone generations equals a long list of new features and changes to look forward to.
Below, we've put together a list of new features and...
Given that many customers upgrade their iPhones every two to three years nowadays, there are still plenty of iPhone 12 Pro owners who might be interested in upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro later this year. While year-over-year iPhone updates are often incremental, the new features begin to stack up after two generations.
As a refresher, we've put together a list of new features and changes to ...
Newly surfaced detailed schematics for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have been shared online by Max Weinbach, revealing that Apple's upcoming high-end iPhones could feature a more prominent camera bump and a thicker overall design.
Last week, more basic schematics for the iPhone 14 Pro were shared, but the ones shared by Weinbach are more detailed and offer measurements for the...
Apple plans to increase the production of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max by 10 million units for the second calendar quarter of the year, which runs from April to June, according to the Taiwanese version of DigiTimes.
From the report (machine translated):
Apple is rumored to expand its production plan for the iPhone 13 in the second quarter of 2022. Among them, the production of...
Popular Stories
Benchmark testing has indicated that the 256GB variant of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip offers slower SSD performance than its M1 equivalent, and now real-world stress testing by YouTuber Max Yuryev of Max Tech suggests that the 256GB SSD in the 13-inch MacBook Pro is also underperforming in day-to day-usage.
The M2 MacBook Pro with 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM was slower than the M1 MacBook ...
Fifteen years ago to this day, the iPhone, the revolutionary device presented to the world by the late Steve Jobs, officially went on sale.
The first iPhone was announced by Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, and went on sale on June 29, 2007. "An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator... these are not three separate devices," Jobs famously said. "Today, Apple is going to reinvent the...
The redesigned MacBook Air with the all-new M2 Apple silicon chip will be available for customers starting Friday, July 15, MacRumors has learned from a retail source. The new MacBook Air was announced and previewed during WWDC earlier this month, with Apple stating availability will begin in July. The MacBook Air features a redesigned body that is thinner and lighter than the previous...
Apple last week launched an updated version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it is the first Mac that is equipped with an updated M2 chip. As it's using a brand new chip, we thought we'd pick up the M2 MacBook Pro and compare it to the prior-generation M1 MacBook Pro to see just what's new.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. For the video comparison, we're using the...
With many customers choosing to upgrade their iPhone every two or three years nowadays, there are lots of iPhone 11 Pro users who might be interested in upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro later this year. Those people are in for a treat, as three years of iPhone generations equals a long list of new features and changes to look forward to.
Below, we've put together a list of new features and...
The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern today shared a new documentary about the evolution of the iPhone ahead of the 15th anniversary of the device launching on June 29, 2007. The documentary includes an interview with Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak, iPhone co-creator Tony Fadell, and a family of iPhone users.
One segment of the interview reflects on Android smartphones gaining larger...
TSMC will manufacture Apple's upcoming "M2 Pro" and "M3" chips based on its 3nm process, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.
"Apple reportedly has booked TSMC capacity for its upcoming 3nm M3 and M2 Pro processors," said DigiTimes, in a report focused on competition between chipmakers like TSMC and Samsung to secure 3nm chip orders. As expected, the report said TSMC will...
For the last several years, Apple has been working to develop its own 5G modem chip so that it won't need to rely on Qualcomm as a supplier, but according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's efforts "may have failed."
Kuo says that his "latest survey" suggests that development on the chip has stalled, which means Qualcomm would remain the exclusive supplier for 5G chips for the 2023...
Top Rated Comments
It's possible that notifications and Live Events will contain a line art version in the API so that developers can display sports scores at the bottom of the screen and update them as the event progresses or Uber can show an always on version of their Live Events widget, with the car status and license plate.
The lit up items will most likely be dimmer than the lead image of this article shows. It's probably going to look more like this:
Personally, I think they should add this feature on iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max too. But I get it... Apple wants you to upgrade and get a new iPhone this year.