[ad_1]
As part of a flurry of new features coming in its iOS 17 software update, Apple Inc. is planning a new interface for iPhones that displays information such as calendar appointments, the weather, and notifications in the style of a smart-home display.
According to those familiar with the project, the view will appear when an iPhone is locked and held horizontally, operating similarly to specialised displays provided by Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Amazon.com Inc. The goal is to increase the utility of iPhones when they are, say, resting on a person’s desk or nightstand.
The action is a part of a larger initiative to incorporate real-time data into more aspects of the company’s software, a strategy that also encompasses the user interface of the Apple Watch. The new view is just one of many adjustments set to appear in iOS 17, also known as Dawn, when it is made available to users later in 2023. The software will be unveiled by Apple alongside its mixed reality headset on June 5 at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
On its plans for iOS 17, an Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
The new iPhone interface will resemble one that debuted on the Android platform in 2019 but in a simpler form. Additionally, Amazon has long provided a feature that enables its tablets to switch into a mode that resembles the user interface of its Echo Show smart home devices.
According to the people, who asked not to be named because the work is still in progress and it isn’t yet available to the public, the Apple feature will use a dark background with bright text to make it easier to read. It will build upon the company’s release of lock screen widgets as part of iOS 16 last year, which allows users to see brief informational tidbits — like stock tickers, news, and temperature — below the time on their screen vertically.
Although it has been slower to make significant changes to the iPad, the Cupertino, California-based company is also working on a new horizontal interface for that device. iPads don’t yet support the new iPhone lock screen from iOS 16, and iPadOS 15 brought home screen widgets that were introduced in iOS 14 to the tablet.
Apple is looking into additional options for utilising its products as smart home displays. A low-cost tablet device that can magnetically attach to walls and stands is one of those things, though progress on that project has been sluggish. That product might eventually represent Apple’s entry into the smart-home display market. It is intended to manage FaceTime chats, show video, and operate devices like thermostats and lights.
Apple also intends to make significant changes to the iPhone’s Wallet app and will improve its location services as part of iOS 17. A new journaling app will be released with the goal of enhancing the device’s note-taking capabilities and social component.
New features for tracking your mood and managing low vision are among the health changes. And Apple intends to make the Health app available for the iPad.
AirPlay, which streams content from Apple devices to TVs and speakers, as well as SharePlay, a feature that allows users to FaceTime while working together in apps, are also being upgraded by the company. It has discussed ways to simplify the process of users beaming video and audio to devices they don’t own with hotels and other establishments that provide TVs and speakers.
[ad_2]
News From Source link
