In his latest Bloomberg newsletter report, Mark Gurman talks about iPhone 14 Pro series gaining Always-on display (AOD) functionality, iOS 16’s major new features and other announcements set to appear at WWDC 2022 on June 6.
The big headline is the long-rumored AOD functionality which will likely be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and their LTPO AMOLED displays. These panels can dial back the refresh rate on the lock screen in a bid to save up battery power while displaying AOD information like time, date and notifications. Apple already offers AOD on its Apple Watches so it makes sense that the feature is finally coming to iPhones. It remains to be seen if the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max which also have LTPO panels will get the AOD feature when iOS 16 comes out or if it will be exclusive to the new 14 Pro series.
In related news, iOS 16 is expected to bring new lock screen wallpapers with “widget-like features” as well as improvements to audio messages in iMessage. Apple Health is said to gain new features available on both iPhone and Apple Watch. On the tablet side, iPadOS is speculated to bring a new multitasking UI with better windowing support. Apple is also planning a big overhaul for watchOS which will gain new navigation options as well as more watch faces and a low-power mode.
The upcoming macOS version update is said to bring plenty of app redesigns and a new system preferences menu inspired by its iOS counterpart. Apple’s tvOS should get more smart home features. Gurman says it’s unlikely that we’ll see any hardware announcements at the event, though he is not completely ruling out a new redesigned MacBook Air with M2 chipset.
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