iOS 17 might add smart home display mode to iPhone

By

Nest Hub Max
Apple might borrow an idea from Google and let iPhone as a smart home hub.
Photo: Google

The always-on display in recent iPhones will get a new use in iOS 17, according to a tipster. The device will reportedly show upcoming appointments, controls for smart home accessories, and more.

We won’t have long to wait to find out if this is an accurate leak — the official unveiling of iOS 17 at WWDC23 is expected in under two weeks.

iPhone could act like HomePod with a screen

Even though Apple has yet to formally announced iOS 17, many details have leaked out already.

And the latest tidbit is something that might be described as smart display mode. When an iPhone is locked and positioned horizontally, it’ll show the user’s calendar, local weather and more, according to an unconfirmed report in Bloomberg.

The iPhone 14 Pro series has an always-on display, and the successor coming in autumn will surely have one, too. These are well suited for becoming a smart home control panel, though being connected to power, either through a cable or wireless charging, would make it more practical.

While this feature might work even better on an iPad’s larger screen, Bloomberg‘s source indicates that tablet users won’t get it this year.

Just to be clear, this isn’t innovation — Android already has a similar mode.

But it might add weight to the rumor that Apple is working on the first HomePod smart speaker with a screen. Work developing a user interface for the iPhone version would easily carry over to the HomePod version.

More iOS 17 leaks

This is just the latest in a long series of iOS 17 leaks. These point to a significant revamp the Control Center, along with tweaks to the Lock Screen, Wallet, Dynamic Island and more.

These will almost certainly go from rumor to reality at WWDC23 on June 5. Apple’s developers conference traditionally brings the full details on the next iOS version, and the same is true for macOS, iPadOS, etc.

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