Ever wondered how much power your iPhone 14 Pro’s Always-On Display uses? Apple’s iOS 16.4 could show you soon.
Apple could soon show iPhone 14 Pro owners how much power their Always-On Display is using, according to a new report.
Apple added the first iPhone Always-On Display with the release of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in late 2023, but it doesn’t do a good job of informing people of the impact of enabling it. However, new code discovered in the first iOS 16.4 developer beta suggests that’s about to change.
Apple released the first iOS 16.4 beta to developers on Thursday, 16 February and code discovered by 9to5Mac suggests that a new feature is in the works.
“As noted by 9to5Mac in the code of the iOS 16.4 beta, which was released on Thursday to developers, the company is adding details about the battery consumption of the Always-On feature in the Settings app,” the report says. It goes on to note that the feature would be similar to how the Settings app displays how much battery the Personal Hotspot uses when enabled.
However, the current beta doesn’t appear to have the new Always-On Display battery-monitoring feature enabled, suggesting that Apple is still working on making it ready. If that’s the case we can expect it to be enabled in a future beta ahead of iOS 16.4 being made available to the world once the beta program is done and dusted.
The Always-On Display does take steps to reduce its battery footprint. The 120Hz display can ratchet its refresh rate all the down to just 1Hz in an attempt to save battery life. It will always use some power, unlike turning the display off entirely, however.
As for other features being worked on for iOS 16.4, the standout is the ability for web apps to send push notifications to users when required. That will also allow web apps to behave in a similar way to apps downloaded from the App Store – something that will surely help Apple in its quest to convince regulators that its App Store practices don’t impact developers’ ability to get apps onto iPhones.