The iOS 17 reveal is less than two weeks away and a new report claims one of the key features will turn the iPhone into smart display.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says a new interface will show when the phone is locked and horizontal. According to the report, Apple is hoping to make the iPhone more functional when it is sitting on a desk, or on their bedside table.
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Effectively, the interface could offer the same functionally of a Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show as well as its Fire tablets.
With that in mind, users could see a host of actionable widgets for smart home devices as well as news headlines, the weather and perhaps calendar appointments.
Apple began to build Lock Screen widgets into iOS 16 last year and, according to Gurman, the iOS 17 initiative will build on this. He says it’ll be similar to efforts on the Android side of things as well as what Amazon has offered with its FireOS-based devices.
According to the report, the interface will have a darker background that’ll make it easier to read. It’s not clear whether this will launch for iPad in iPadOS 17.
Gurman writes: “The Cupertino, California-based company is also working on a new horizontal interface for the iPad, but it’s been slower to make major changes to that device. The new iPhone lock screen from iOS 16 isn’t yet available on iPads, and home screen widgets that were launched in iOS 14 didn’t arrive on the tablet until iPadOS 15.”
Gurman has previously reported Apple is planning a smart display of its own that may be combined with its HomePod speakers.
Apple will launch new operating systems for both at the iPhone and iPad at WWDC on June 5 during a keynote address. If the usual precedent is followed, both platforms will be available to beta test throughout the summer and be available in the autumn.
