Update: This feature is now live in the stable version of iOS 16, and here's how you enable it.
We’re only a day away from the next Apple Event, where we expect Apple to launch the iPhone 14 range, but there are apparently still details that can be leaked. The latest comes from MacRumors, with sources seemingly revealing a number of features about the iPhone 14 Pro’s always on display — and the return of a fan-favorite feature.
Images shared by MacRumors show the iPhone 14 Pro’s alleged lock screen, complete with a number of features we have already heard about — including the pill-shaped cutout. The screens also include a returned battery indicator, adding a percentage level to the existing battery icon.
The iPhone’s hefty notch does take up a lot of space, even with the smaller footprint that launched with the iPhone 13. So by replacing that notch with a cutout, Apple has more room to play with and include important information.
This involves switching the cell signal indicators over to the left, including what carrier you’re connected to. With room on the right-hand side, Apple can bring back the battery percentage next to the battery icon itself, meaning you can always see exactly how much power your phone has at a glance. No more guesswork based on how full the battery icon is, or pulling down the control center.
Sources also told MacRumors that the iOS 16 lock screen will “directly interact with the iPhone 14 Pro’s always on display.” That means integration with notifications, widgets, and a darkened version of the wallpaper to help save power. However widgets will apparently fade in and out at various intervals, to try and stop OLED burn-in.
As we've seen with the iOS 16 beta, notifications would “roll-in” from the bottom of the screen, and will be “subtly visible” for around 10 seconds. Once you wake the display the on-screen notifications will animate from the bottom and will appear according to your own Lock Screen notification settings.
Similarly, users will apparently be allowed to enable a notification counter, which lives at the bottom of an always-on display, if they choose. (Here's how to change the way notifications are displayed in iOS 16, based on the beta.)
The battery indicator may not be an iPhone 14 Pro-only feature as so many leaked details are. An earlier iOS 16 beta update lets other phones toggle the battery indicator on and off — indeed, we've made it appear on an iPhone 12 running iOS 16, though in that case the battery percentage appears within the battery itself.
We’re likely to hear a lot more about iOS 16 at the Apple Event, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow (September 7). We are expecting a lot of new announcements, though, including the brand new iPhone 14 range, the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE 2 and possibly even the Apple Watch 8 Pro. There’s some speculation that AirPods Pro 2 and new iPads could also make an appearance.
iOS 16 will almost certainly arrive after the event — usually a few days before the new iPhone goes on sale, if Apple follows its previous pattern of iOS updates.
