iPhone lock screen suspended for Apple’s upcoming iOS 16 upgrade. Apple’s upcoming iOS 16 will likely upgrade the lock screen, messaging, and health features. iOS 16 is the new software—codenamed Sydney—is a fairly significant upgrade.
It will be chock full of changes across the operating system, including updates to notifications, iPad multitasking, and the Messages and Health apps. The makeover also includes a part of the interface that’s often an afterthought: the lock screen.
That’s probably going to alter with iOS 16 and the iPhone 14. Apple is planning significant enhancements for the lock screen, including wallpapers with widget-like capabilities.
In addition, iOS 16 builds in future support for an always-on lock screen, something Apple was initially planning for last year’s iPhone 13. It would allow the iPhone to significantly turn down the frame rate on the lock screen and display quickly glanceable information—similar to newer Apple Watches.
Let’s expect the always-on mode as an exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, codenamed D73 and D74, if the feature ends up cutting. Other iPhone 14 Pro features include a new front-facing camera and Face ID cutout, an A16 chip, and a 48-megapixel back camera. There’s also the possibility of sending emergency texts over satellite networks.
Apple Inc.’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, better known as WWDC, is about a week away. It is the event where the company outlines its software strategy for the following year.
An iOS 7-scale redesign in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 has significant changes to windowing and multitasking, particularly on the iPad. It was affirmed by a finding from Steve Troughton-Smith, which hints that Apple is building support into its web browsing framework for better windowing support.
In Messages, expect more social network-like functionality, particularly around audio messages. In addition, the Apple TV operating system, tvOS, will get more smart-home tie-ins, while the Mac will get some redesigned apps and a much-needed overhaul to System Preferences to make them more in line with Settings on iOS. That includes organizing settings by the app.
While the Health app probably won’t be expanding to the iPad and Mac, it will get plenty of new features that work with the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple also is making significant improvements to watchOS that affect day-to-day operating and navigation. In addition, there will be changes to watch faces and the addition of a low-power mode.
We won’t see that iPhone 14 with the always-on screen in terms of new hardware until September. And though Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset is full steam ahead—underscored by the recent demonstration of the device to the company’s board—wary of expecting a full-blown presentation for developers and consumers next week.
If there’s any hardware at WWDC, it will likely be on the Mac side. The company aims to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference. The recent supply chain crunch due to Covid-related closures in China has complicated that, but developers say that Apple employees increasingly use next-generation MacBook Airs with their apps. That’s a sign that the new Mac is close.
Apple boosts pay in the face of union pressure and inflation. Over the past few weeks, Apple retail employees around the US have been upping their efforts to unionize. The company, of course, is willing to do whatever it can to stop that from happening. Last weekend was phase one: new coffee machines in break rooms (seriously). This past week was a more dramatic step: an increase in the company’s US minimum hourly wage by 10%, from $20 an hour to $22.
Apple also is boosting its compensation budget companywide and will move up annual corporate raises for some teams. Apple’s sweetening of the pot may already be having an effect. The labor group attempting to unionize a story in Atlanta said Friday would cancel an upcoming election.
Apple’s pushback against unionization includes video to staff, which quickly leaks. Apple and its retail chief had held off for weeks from addressing employee unrest and the unionization campaigns. The company is so focused on managing public perception that it was wary of saying something to retail employees only for it to leak.