Latest iOS 16 Beta Further Suggests Always-On Display Coming to iPhone 14 Pro

[MacRumors]

A new detail found in the iOS 16 beta could be the latest indication that Apple is indeed planning to bring always-on display functionality to the upcoming high-end iPhones.

As discovered by 9to5Mac, the latest iOS 16 beta adds a new "Sleep" state to the default wallpapers found in iOS 16. The new "Sleep" mode is a version of the wallpaper that is darker and more tinted, better suited to be shown on an always-on display. In simpler terms, the new "Sleep" state could be described as a photo filter that could be applied to any image the user chooses to use for their always-on display.

iOS 16 clownfish wallpaper in the "Sleep" state (left) next to the normal state (right)​

As 9to5Mac notes, it seems Apple will replicate the behavior found on the Apple Watch on the iPhone 14 Pro. The Apple Watch Series 5 and later with an always-on display shows a darker and more faint version of the watch face until the wrist is raised, so similarly, the iPhone 14 Pro could show a darker version of the wallpaper until turned on by the user.

With the new "Sleep" state, users will see remnants of their wallpaper and information, such as the time and their lock screen widgets, even when their display is not in active use. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has already reported that an always-on display tied into the iOS 16 Lock Screen will be coming only to the higher-end iPhone 14 models.

An always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro will be possible thanks to more advanced displays that feature a refresh rate as low as 1Hz. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature ProMotion technology and can go as high as 120Hz and as low as 10Hz. Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, the lower 1Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 14 Pro series will improve energy efficiency with an always-on display.

An always-on display is one of several big changes rumored to be coming to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, including a replacement of the notch with a pill-shaped and hole-punch cutout, a 48MP rear camera, faster performance, new colors, and more. A complete rundown of everything we know about the iPhone 14 Pro lineup can be found in our roundup.

Article Link: Latest iOS 16 Beta Further Suggests Always-On Display Coming to iPhone 14 Pro

 

[nfl46]

Hey, better late than never.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Hey, better late than never.

Is this a common feature in other smartphones?

Edit: It looks like it is common on many phones running Android. Not sure how widely used it is but an unscientific poll on a tech site shows about a 50-50 split. The data are meaningless other than to suggest that if about half of tech-minded people visiting a tech site report using it, actual use is much lower by “regular” people.

It will be interesting to see how Apple’s implementation is.

 

[syklee26]

I dunno why this is such a big deal. AOD is necessary on watch but not so sure about the phone. I am not gonna go all ape sh about having it though.

 

[Phil77354]

Aren't we already spending too much time looking at our phones, won't this simply make that worse?

Hopefully the 'always-on' display will at least turn itself fully off when I place my phone face-down on my desk in order to avoid that distraction!

 

[dugbug]

To this day that clownfish wp is still my favorite

 

[GuruZac]

I look forward to always on display but that is a much less desired feature for me than USB-C. I absolutely love everything about my 13 Pro, especially the battery and ProMotion display, so will sit out and wait for the 15 Pro which should hopefully finally have USB-C. I can't wait to hear Apple's keynote talking about all the virtues of USB-C/TB on the iPhone...as if that shouldn't have been there 3 years ago on the original Pro iPhones.

 

[NoelWalker]

I assume Apple would claim the 14 Pros with AoD on would have same battery life than the 13 Pros. Imagine the battery life when you turn the AoD off. A true game changer (besides the USB-C charging port).

 

[Project Alice]

I wouldn’t ever use always on display personally. But lots of people want it, so it should be added to all iPhones with an OLED display. There’s literally no reason not to. Restricting that feature to only iPhone 14 Pro models is like BMW charging a subscription for activating already present heated seats.

 

[antiprotest]

Aren't we already spending too much time looking at our phones, won't this simply make that worse?

Hopefully the 'always-on' display will at least turn itself fully off when I place my phone face-down on my desk in order to avoid that distraction!

My phone is on my desk more than in my pocket. An always on display will actually reduce the times I tap on my phone or hold it up to check the lockscreen for notifications while I am working next to it or walking by it at home. It would reduce this for many tens of times each day. So always on display would in fact greatly reduce looking at the phone for many people who have certain needs and habits. For some people it would be one of the most habit changing feature in years. And I am certain that many people who are calling it useless now would be posting "i was wrong" posts here a short time after this comes out.

 

[-BigMac-]

Hey, better late than never.

Honestly, I don’t think the always-on display adds utility to my AppleWatch, and I don’t think it will add any to my iPhone.

If I want to see the screen, raise to wake does the job 99% of the time already

 

[stidjen]

"he Apple Watch Series 4 and later with an always-on display shows a darker and more faint version of the watch face until the wrist is raised"

This should be "Series 5 and later"

 

[Juuro]

@samifathi The Apple Watch only has the always on display since the Series 5, the Series 4 didn't have one.

 

[murdoc2k]

I wouldn’t ever use always on display personally. But lots of people want it, so it should be added to all iPhones with an OLED display. There’s literally no reason not to. Restricting that feature to only iPhone 14 Pro models is like BMW charging a subscription for activating already present heated seats.

I see where you're coming from and it looks like a trivial thing to do, but existing OLED displays can't go as low as 1 HZ which is why new hardware is required.

My feeling about this is that turning off AOD will definitely lead to some battery life improvements, but negligible since the drain with AOD is small enough for Apple to claim the same battery life as iPhone 13 Pro.

 

[jouster]

Seems like a lot of people want this, so I'm happy for them! I won't use it, as my phone is in my pocket most of the time. Won't use it on my next Apple Watch either--battery life is more important to me than the minor inconvenience of activating the screen on either device.

 

[contacos]

I have it on two of my Samsung Galaxy phones and honestly, I don’t really pay attention to it. It’s only convenience is seeing the battery charging status without waking the phone but even that, Apple took away in the IOS 16 beta 🤦🏽‍♂️

 

[heystu]

The data are meaningless other than to suggest that if about half of tech-minded people visiting a tech site report using it, actual use is much lower by “regular” people.

"Without data you're just another person with an opinion." - W. Edwards Deming

 

[GuruZac]

Is this a common feature in other smartphones?

Edit: It looks like it is common on many phones running Android. Not sure how widely used it is but an unscientific poll on a tech site shows about a 50-50 split. The data are meaningless other than to suggest that if about half of tech-minded people visiting a tech site report using it, actual use is much lower by “regular” people.

It will be interesting to see how Apple’s implementation is.

This is a feature that should have been available when Apple came out with OLED displays in 2017 on the iPhone X. Android has had it for years now without 1Hz displays so that's not an excuse, and is also why it's a bit frustrating that it won't come to the 13 Pro at the very least.

For those that think it's meaningless, fine, turn the feature off, but as others have stated, it would be nice to have the phone lying on a desk and easily see notifications, time, weather widget (iOS 16), etc. The battery hit will be minimal just as it is on the watch. I'm on a Series 5 44mm that I've had since launch in 2019, and I still make it through most days above 30%, with AoD on since day 1, and that includes logging 30-45 min workouts. People overhype the battery hit with AoD.

 

[Project Alice]

I see where you're coming from and it looks like a trivial thing to do, but existing OLED displays can't go as low as 1 HZ which is why new hardware is required.

My feeling about this is that turning off AOD will definitely lead to some battery life improvements, but negligible since the drain with AOD is small enough for Apple to claim the same battery life as iPhone 13 Pro.

That does make sense, but 10Hz is still low enough I would think.

Also,
I was curious as to what Android phones have in terms of displays for AOD and found this in a quick google. According to this the S20 is always 120Hz.

 

[MisterSavage]

For those that think it's meaningless, fine, turn the feature off, but as others have stated, it would be nice to have the phone lying on a desk and easily see notifications, time, weather widget (iOS 16), etc. The battery hit will be minimal just as it is on the watch. I'm on a Series 5 44mm that I've had since launch in 2019, and I still make it through most days above 30%, with AoD on since day 1, and that includes logging 30-45 min workouts. People overhype the battery hit with AoD.

100% agree. There will be scenarios where I'll use my phone less because I can just glance at the AOD lock screen. I do a workout a day also and I cannot imagine going back to a watch that doesn't have AOD.

 

[Lekendy]

A new detail found in the iOS 16 beta could be the latest indication that Apple is indeed planning to bring always-on display functionality to the upcoming high-end iPhones.

As discovered by 9to5Mac, the latest iOS 16 beta adds a new "Sleep" state to the default wallpapers found in iOS 16. The new "Sleep" mode is a version of the wallpaper that is darker and more tinted, better suited to be shown on an always-on display. In simpler terms, the new "Sleep" state could be described as a photo filter that could be applied to any image the user chooses to use for their always-on display.

iOS 16 clownfish wallpaper in the "Sleep" state (left) next to the normal state (right)​

As 9to5Mac notes, it seems Apple will replicate the behavior found on the Apple Watch on the iPhone 14 Pro. The Apple Watch Series 5 and later with an always-on display shows a darker and more faint version of the watch face until the wrist is raised, so similarly, the iPhone 14 Pro could show a darker version of the wallpaper until turned on by the user.

With the new "Sleep" state, users will see remnants of their wallpaper and information, such as the time and their lock screen widgets, even when their display is not in active use. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has already reported that an always-on display tied into the iOS 16 Lock Screen will be coming only to the higher-end iPhone 14 models.

An always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro will be possible thanks to more advanced displays that feature a refresh rate as low as 1Hz. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature ProMotion technology and can go as high as 120Hz and as low as 10Hz. Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, the lower 1Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 14 Pro series will improve energy efficiency with an always-on display.

An always-on display is one of several big changes rumored to be coming to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, including a replacement of the notch with a pill-shaped and hole-punch cutout, a 48MP rear camera, faster performance, new colors, and more. A complete rundown of everything we know about the iPhone 14 Pro lineup can be found in our roundup.

Article Link: Latest iOS 16 Beta Further Suggests Always-On Display Coming to iPhone 14 Pro

About time

 

[MayaUser]

This is how AOD should have been..on android we have it for a decade but it was very minimalistic and was drawing a lot of power back then
Now , better features , better display tech with 1hz AOD it will be what it should be

 

[azentropy]

This is a feature that should have been available when Apple came out with OLED displays in 2017 on the iPhone X. Android has had it for years now without 1Hz displays so that's not an excuse, and is also why it's a bit frustrating that it won't come to the 13 Pro at the very least.

For those that think it's meaningless, fine, turn the feature off, but as others have stated, it would be nice to have the phone lying on a desk and easily see notifications, time, weather widget (iOS 16), etc. The battery hit will be minimal just as it is on the watch. I'm on a Series 5 44mm that I've had since launch in 2019, and I still make it through most days above 30%, with AoD on since day 1, and that includes logging 30-45 min workouts. People overhype the battery hit with AoD.

I don’t think I’ve ever made it through a normal day and had 30% left on my AW5 (or my 0,1 and 4 previously).

 

[EugW]

I'm looking at getting the iPhone 14 Plus (non-Pro) for the wife. This bodes well for pricing that isn't out-of-this-world. For an iPhone, neither AoD nor A16 SoC are things she'd care about, so foregoing those is a great way to save $$$. She already has the Apple Watch Series 5, so she already has an AoD timepiece with her at all times. An extra camera lens would be nice, but since she's coming from the XR with just one lens, going to an iPhone 14 Plus with two lenses would already be a big upgrade.

 

[GuruZac]

I don’t think I’ve ever made it through a normal day and had 30% left on my AW5 (or my 0,1 and 4 previously).

I have always made it through the day at 30%+ on my Series 2 Nike and my Series 5. My Series 0 was pretty bad battery wise.