Always On Display improvements
Thanks to the new software update that arrived to all eligible iPhones overnight, the wallpaper and notifications portions of the Always On Display can now be promptly disabled, which certainly helps the latest iPhones achieve a more clean and “classic” Always On Display look, mostly similar to what Android manufacturers initially came up with many years ago.
Both the wallpaper and the notifications can be disabled separately, giving you a more flexibility when it comes to personalizing your specific use case. For example, if you disable your Always On Display’s wallpaper, the latter will be pitch black for a non-distracting look that also goes lighter on your battery. On the other hand, turning off incoming notifications wouldn’t showcase these until you lift your phone up to unlock it, which is definitely less distracting.
And here’s how it looks with the wallpaper and notifications disabled after iOS 16.2:
Of course, you can opt to have both elements enabled and enjoy the full scope of Apple’s version of an always-on screen functionality, though it might be both a bit distracting and slightly detrimental to your battery life. You can also completely disable the Always On Display on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max altogether if you wish so. Your phone, your rules.
What is Always On Display?
As a refresher, Apple introduced Always On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which arrived in September 2023 with 1Hz-120Hz ProMotion Liquid Retina displays, which is the essential hardware requirement for the Always On Display feature.
We can see Always On Display remain a staple of the iPhone lineup in the coming years, when we will hopefully get 1-120Hz ProMotion OLED displays across the full iPhone lineups. While we might not necessarily get this with the upcoming iPhone 15 family, there’s always the chance that the iPhone 16 or even 17 deliver on that awesome hardware feature. Here’s to hoping!
