The iOS 17 feature that can turn your iPhone into the perfect office desk or kitchen companion

June 15, 2023

According to Bloomberg, iOS 17 will bring new features to the always-on display hardware that could be a precursor to a future Apple smart display. Mark Gurman reports that i0S 17 will add a new display mode, among other features, that turns the iPhone 14 Pro into a smart display of sorts when locked in landscape orientation. 

The always-on display currently presents a dimmed version of the wallpaper, time, notification, and up to five widgets. No landscape support is present on the lock screen nor home screen.

“The view will appear when an iPhone is locked and positioned horizontally, operating similarly to dedicated displays offered by Alphabet Inc’s Google and Amazon.com Inc, according to people familiar with the project. The idea is to make iPhones more useful when they’re, for example, lying on a person’s desk or nightstand”, - Mark wrote.

The new display, according to Mark, will be capable of presenting data like calendar appointments, the weather and notifications in the style of a smart-home display. The feature will rely on a dark background and bright text for increased legibility. This sounds like a clear distinction between the existing always-on lock screen experience with iOS 16 but will remain the same in portrait orientation.

iPhone 14 Pro users can already configure widgets to show this sort of information, but iOS 17 sounds like it could take better advantage of the available screen space. iOS 17 will be the first major software update for iPhone since the company launched always-on display hardware with iOS 16 and iPhone 14 Pro. Also, the new display technology is expected to remain exclusive to the Pro line with iPhone 15 later this fall.

Gurman previously hinted at significant changes to the iOS application development, such as the Wallet app and other features. Apple confirmed this week that its annual Worldwide Developer Conference keynote address will take place on Monday, June 5, 2023. Check-in for more, as we will get you a comprehensive update of the event.