iOS 16, the next major version of the iPhone software, was previewed last week. The new OS will run on the iPhone 8 and newer, and could be released this fall alongside the rumored iPhone 14. iOS 16 includes new highly requested features and tools, such as the ability to customize the lock screen or edit sent iMessages. It may also reveal some clues about the iPhone 14.
While Apple told us a lot about the new features on the current iPhones, it didn’t specifically mention what to expect from the iPhone 14. iOS 16 seems to be no different. Some features look likely to give us a hint of what to expect from the iPhone 14 lineup. One of these clues is actually hidden in iOS 16’s code. Let’s have a look!
iPhone 14 may have an always-on display
See that Apple didn’t add always-on display in iOS 16. This is a handy feature on many Android phones and even the Apple Watch. The always-on display shows basic information like the time or weather while your phone is asleep. Instead of lighting up the entire display like a lock screen, an always-on display only activates a portion of the screen to save power. This is a huge convenience and will make the iPhone easier to navigate.
Apple-focused site 9to5Mac reports that it found multiple references in iOS 16, suggesting that the iPhone may support always-on display in the future.
But always-on display support can be limited, as the screen’s refresh rate has to drop to 10Hz or even lower to use less power; well below the typical 60Hz refresh rate of the average iPhone. The Apple Watch’s always-on display works at 1Hz, which isn’t supported by any current iPhone, which could mean it’s debuting on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, as it may require new hardware.
Specifically, the way iOS 16 notifications are constrained to the bottom of the screen makes me wonder if Apple is experimenting with ways to preserve screen space. This is important for always-on displays, as the feature only uses a specific part of the screen to maintain power.
Visual Find Could Mean More Powerful Movie Mode
One of the more subtle features of iOS 16 is improved Visual Find, which can identify objects, people, pets, and landmarks in photos and provide additional information or context. A nifty addition this year is the ability to click on any photo to remove the background. You can literally tap and lift foreground subjects away from the background, and add “cuts” to other apps to share or create collages.
Movie mode debuted on the iPhone 13 series and is basically Apple’s take on video portrait mode. While movie mode is fun to use, results can suffer.
Professional Mode for Camera App
You can guess that the camera on the iPhone 14 series will be better than the one on the iPhone 13 series. Many of these improvements could come from computational photography-driven features like SmartHDR and Deep Fusion, which are directly tied to the chips that power phones. So the iPhone 14 running on the A16 chip would theoretically have new camera features or improved photo processing that the iPhone 13 lacked.
Apple‘s addition of a customizable lock screen in iOS 16 has me wishing for an overhaul of the camera app on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. New professional features like ProRaw and ProRes video recording can make the camera app interface a bit cramped. Maybe there could be a Pro mode that can be toggled on and off, with shortcuts to quickly adjust camera settings. Or Apple might clean up the camera app’s interface to make it more visually appealing.
However, this is all speculation, and we won’t know anything about the next iPhone until Apple announces it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>iPhone battery