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iPhone 14 Pro's Always-On Display: No Customization Features, Battery Life Saving Techniques, and More

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Reviews for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have been published, offering a more detailed look at Apple's new high-end phones and all they have to offer, including an always-on display.

iphone-14-pro-always-on-display.jpeg

One detail confirmed today by the reviews is that the always-on display features no customization features, as it only displays a tinted version of a user's iOS 16 Lock Screen wallpaper, widgets, and Live Activities, if any are actively running. Users can't customize the always-on display, such as what information it chooses or whether it shows a darkened wallpaper or a black background.

iphone-14-pro-always-on-toggle.jpg

Users can, however, disable the always-on display entirely from within the Display and Brightness section of Settings. Reviewers noted that it's too early to tell whether or not the always-on display has a material impact on battery life, so we'll have to wait a few weeks before we know its effect.

The new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature more power-efficient OLED displays with a variable refresh rate as low as 1Hz. This is just one of several power-saving features that the iPhone 14 Pro has for the always-on display. Today we learned from Engadget that in order to limit the impact of the always-on display on battery life, the iPhone 14 Pro prerenders individual frames for elements that predictably change, such as the time, and feeds them to the always-on display when appropriate.

As reported earlier this week, the iPhone 14 Pro intelligently detects if a user who's wearing an Apple Watch paired with the iPhone leaves the room, and when they do, it will disable the always-on display.

By disabling the always-on display when a user leaves the room, the iPhone 14 Pro saves battery life and helps safeguard privacy as the display doesn't show a user's wallpaper and widgets when they're not present.

Article Link: iPhone 14 Pro's Always-On Display: No Customization Features, Battery Life Saving Techniques, and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/14/iphone-14-pro-always-on-display-tidbits/
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
 
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I have never understood the benefits of an Always-On display.

In a time where we use technology more than ever, it's a relief to turn off the screen from time to time.

And if someone/something is trying to reach me, the visual contrast and/or vibration/sounds will be plenty to grab my attention.
 
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I wanna know can you use the widgets with one tap or do you have to touch the display to wake it first
 
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Saturn1217 said:
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
Click to expand...
8 minutes into his video, he said he was going to turn it off
 
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mathiasdk1 said:
I have never understood the benefits of an Always-On display.

In a time where we use technology more than ever, it's a relief to turn off the screen from time to time.

And if someone/something is trying to reach me, the visual contrast and/or vibration/sounds will be plenty to grab my attention.
Click to expand...
For me, I can set my phone down on my desk and just with a glance, I can see the time and any notifications without having to interact with the device at all. My work phone is an S21, thats how I know..
 
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mathiasdk1 said:
I have never understood the benefits of an Always-On display.

In a time where we use technology more than ever, it's a relief to turn off the screen from time to time.

And if someone/something is trying to reach me, the visual contrast and/or vibration/sounds will be plenty to grab my attention.
Click to expand...
Which is why they included an option to disable it.
 
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Saturn1217 said:
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm surprised they decided to keep the entire display on. I was expecting it to just show the time and widgets on a black background. This seems like it's definitely going to impact battery life.
 
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Saturn1217 said:
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
Click to expand...
But Sara Dietschy says that she left it on for 12 hours untouched and the battery remained at 100%. Then again for another 12 hours and with a bunch of notifications coming in during the day hours and it went to 95%.

So indeed it's not too early to tell. We can possibly conclude that it does not negatively affect battery life. MKBHD probably used the phone as usual so he could not isolate how AOD affected the battery life.
 
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Saturn1217 said:
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
Click to expand...
I’d say people will like this much more than a black screen. To me, THIS seems to be the right way to do AoD, while showing pixels moving because of battery concerns seems like a workaround because technology is not ready.
 
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Spock said:
For me, I can set my phone down on my desk and just with a glance, I can see the time and any notifications without having to interact with the device at all. My work phone is an S21, thats how I know..
Click to expand...

You could also just delay the time which has to pass before it will go to standby.

I can see some rare situations, where I am painting or doing something dirty with my hands.

I think it will just end up me being tempted to look at the display much more often - which is not needed or healthy for the brain.
 
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AlexESP said:
I’d say people will like this much more than a black screen. To me, THIS seems to be the right way to do AoD, while showing pixels moving because of battery concerns seems like a workaround because technology is not ready.
Click to expand...
I agree. Letting people customize might be better, but if there is no such option I'd prefer this prettier version.
 
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Saturn1217 said:
The very first review I watched (MKBHD) says he turned off always on display specifically because he noticed an impact on battery life. So I don't think it is "too early to tell".

This is not the right way to do always on display. It is too bright and includes too much.

I would love a very dim view of clock + widgets + some kind of notification indicator on a BLACK BACKGROUND.

Android has done this right forever. There is no excuse for Apple to be messing this up when it took so long to come to the iPhone in the first place.
Click to expand...
Yeah, at most Id just like a clock and some visual indication of a notification like the BlackBerry days.

I would expect there to be an option for a more discreet display in a future update.

I’ve a few years with my 13PM yet, very infrequent upgrader these days, so I expect Apple will have done this by then, heheh.
 
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