Developers have found a mini leak in Xcode’s iPhone simulator. If you look closely, you get a foretaste of the always-on screen in the iPhone.
Apparently someone at Apple was asleep: developers have found a fairly clear indication of the introduction of an always-on display in the current Beta 4 of the Xcode programming environment. However, if you want to see the leak of the constantly awake screen, you have to look very closely. For a very brief moment, when waking up a simulated iPhone in SwiftUI Preview, you can see a display that shows the lock screen in a modified version. This would be well suited for permanent display.
After the release of iOS 16 beta 4, it became apparent that the screen backgrounds (wallpapers) could be displayed in a new variant that removed some details and appeared dimmed overall. This display-friendly variant could be seen in a new permanent display on the iPhone 14 Pro in the future. As with the Apple Watch, Apple is expected to significantly lower the screen’s refresh rate to save power. This, coupled with a slimmer and darker display, could enable always-on operation without sacrificing battery stamina too much.
First the clownfish, now the widgets
The current discovery is another piece of the jigsaw on the way to the always-on display, because of course the apps must also be displayed in a reduced way in stand-by mode. Twitter user rhogelleim shows a round photo widget showing Tim Cook turning a colorful image into a monochrome version. Steve Moser goes one step further. Using a whale, he demonstrates that the textures are reduced.
The always-on display is rumored to be reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro models. For example, users would have a permanent time display. Widgets could also display additional information permanently.
