Apple's next iPhone might finally get always

Apple's iPhone 14, likely to come out in the fall, will have a feature Android devices have had for years: an always-on display.

This is according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who laid out Apple's possible plans in the latest instalment of his "Power On" newsletter (via MacRumors). According to the report, Apple's iOS 16 — likely to come alongside the next iPhone — will come with an "enhanced" lock screen, which will have wallpapers that have widget-like capabilities.

This still isn't an always-on display, which would mean that a portion of the display is lit up with some basic data even when the phone is asleep. But Gurman says the new features in iOS 16 will have "future support" for an always-on lock screen, though it's uncertain that it will be ready in time for iPhone 14 launch.

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Gurman also claims the always-on mode, if it happens, will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max models.

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Always-on display is familiar to owners of Android phones including those from Samsung, Xiaomi, and Oppo, many of which have offered the feature for years. Apple's own Apple Watch has an always-on display mode as well (starting with Apple Watch Series 5 and onwards).

The rumors of always-on display coming to the iPhone aren't new, either. Gurman himself predicted last year that the feature will be made available on iPhone 13, which never materialized.

In other Apple-related news, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently tweeted that Apple is unlikely to launch its rumored augmented/mixed-reality handset at this year’s WWDC. Kuo still thinks Apple will launch it next year, though.