Ios 16 Refers To Always On Display Ahead Of Iphone 14 Pro

iOS 16 was announced yesterday at WWDC 2022, with one of the biggest changes being a completely redesigned Lock Screen. You can now customize your iPhone’s Lock Screen with different widgets, fonts, dynamic wallpapers, and more.

iOS 16 always-on display

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman was first to report on the revamped Lock Screen that would be added as part of iOS 16. Gurman also noted that iOS 16 would build in support for an always-on display in preparation for the feature potentially launching with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max this fall.

Each of these frameworks includes references to an always-on display capability. Theoretically, you could speculate that these always-on features were added in reference to the existing always-on display features of the Apple Watch, but that’s not the case here.

Finally, there are also hidden flags within iOS 16 that Apple engineers can use to enable the always-on capability, even on unsupported devices. This means Apple engineers can test the always-on display feature on the iPhone 13 Pro, ahead of the feature launching with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max later this year.

And if you’re wondering why the always-on display feature will be limited to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, even if Apple is testing the feature on the iPhone 13 Pro, it comes down to the variable refresh rate technology of the ProMotion display.

The iPhone 13 Pro variable refresh display can scale from 120Hz to 10Hz. For context, the Apple Watch’s always-on display can scale to a 1Hz refresh rate. This allows the always-on display to be an option while also not destroying the Apple Watch’s battery life. While not confirmed, it’s possible the iPhone 14 Pro is able to run at 1Hz to preserve battery life while offering an always-on display.

Ultimately, it’s clear that iOS 16 is laying the groundwork for an always-on display feature in many ways. The new widget and notification designs on the Lock Screen are perfect for an always-on display, and the underlying iOS 16 code confirms that such a feature is in development.