Apple’s launch of iOS 16 may include support for always-on displays, a feature that could come to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max later in 2022. The fall update to the iPhone 14 lineup could include a change in display technology, with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max rumored to offer a low 1Hz refresh rate. In order to implement such a feature, it seems that Apple will lay the groundwork for this in iOS 16.
According to sources who told Mark Gurman of Bloomberg’s “Power On” newsletter, iOS 16 will include support for an “always-on lock screen.” He added that this would “allow the iPhone to dramatically reduce frame rates while the screen is locked and display useful information at all times,” similar to some Apple Watch models.
Gurman claimed that this feature is “what Apple originally planned to use in last year’s iPhone 13” because Apple once added low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LPTO) display panels to the iPhone 13 Pro series, and the technology has the potential to be used. Offers a partially always-on display, but the included ProMotion support only goes as far as 120Hz, making it difficult to ensure battery consumption is kept low, and that’s probably why the idea was abandoned.
iOS 16, expected to be revealed as part of the June 6 WWDC 2022 keynote, will reportedly include an upgraded set of built-in apps, as well as “new ways to interact,” but retain the same aesthetic as iOS 15.