Apple intends to introduce a new interface for the iPhone in iOS 17 that will showcase various information such as calendar appointments, weather data, and notifications, mimicking the design of a smart-home display, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
The new interface will appear only when an iPhone is locked and placed in a horizontal orientation, adds Gurman. Apple’s plan is to make the iPhone lock screen more informative when it’s “lying on a person’s desk or nightstand,” adds the article. The new iOS 17 interface is part of Apple’s new strategy to include more live information across its platforms – which will also be demonstrated in watchOS 10‘s new widgets on the Apple Watch.
According to Gurman, the new interface will feature a dark background with light text to improve the information’s legibility. The interface is said to be similar to offerings on Android and Amazon’s Echo line of smart home devices and is designed to integrate smoothly with lock screen changes Apple introduced last year with iOS 16.
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Apple is also reportedly working on a new horizontal interface for the iPad that could be part of iPadOS 17, adds the article. The new interface could make better use of the iPad’s vast display and bring over iOS 16’s lock screen customizations and widgets that were not present on iPadOS 16.
iOS 17 other features
Other iOS 17 features include “significant changes” to its Wallet app and other refinements to the Find My location service, adds the article. Gurman is also reiterating the introduction of a new journaling app, which is said to bolster the iPhone’s social sharing capabilities. The article adds that Apple plans to roll out refinements to SharePlay and AirPlay that should make it easier for users to stream content to devices they don’t own, such as hotels and other venues.
WWDC 2023 is less than two weeks away, and in addition to iOS 17, Apple will also announce new versions of iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The star of the show will undoubtedly be the company’s mixed-reality headset and its accompanying “xrOS” software platform. Be sure to check out Supercharged’s recap of everything expected to be unveiled at WWDC.
