Apple unveiled all its new software products at its inaugural conference at WWDC 2022, but the brand’s ecosystem has not quite finished revealing its secrets. By digging a little in the development kit dedicated to iOS 16 (the iPhone operating system), the 9to5Mac site notably discovered many references to a long-awaited feature: the Always-On mode.
Hints in the code
This feature, which allows as its name suggests to leave part of the screen lit to display information, has already been talked about many times. The famous journalist Bloomberg, Mark Gurman notably suggested a few days ago that this technology would arrive on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. This information is now confirmed after the release of the first beta of iOS 16.
This new version indeed offers three new tools related to backlight management that mention this famous Always-On mode. Many also mention the Springboard, the software brick that takes care of managing the home and lock screen on the iPhone.
1 Hz for maximum autonomy
According to 9to5Mac, the Pro and Pro Max models will be inspired by what the Apple Watch offers and will benefit from a refresh rate capable of going down to 1 Hz. that certain areas of the screen are lit, this novelty would make it possible to display information on a “black” screen without consuming too much energy.
Apple is far from being the first manufacturer to offer this famous Always-On mode. Many Android smartphones equipped with OLED screens have benefited from this feature for years. A mobile like the OnePlus 9 Pro can also lower its refresh rate to 1 Hz by the way. It remains to be seen if the next iPhones will offer something more on this front.