TechPhonesiPhonesiOS 16 clue makes it clear to me Apple is plotting a folding iPhoneIn the betas of Apple’s iPhone software, a really big hint might be hiding in plain sightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesiPhonesiOS 16 clue makes it clear to me Apple is plotting a folding iPhoneIn the betas of Apple’s iPhone software, a really big hint might be hiding in plain sightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
In the betas of Apple’s iPhone software, a really big hint might be hiding in plain sight
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
I love folding phones, and I really wantAppleto make afolding iPhone; the arrival of theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4,Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4and theMotorola Razr 2022, all three of which are genuinely clever and desirable devices, has me even more convinced that an Apple foldable would be one of thebest foldable phonesaround.
And having used the beta ofiOS16, the software that’ll launch alongside theiPhone 14, I’m increasingly convinced that a really big hint is hiding in plain sight right there on my Lock Screen. Here’s why.
If you look at the image above, you can see the new Lock Screen widgets that’ll be available on everyiPhoneand which will also work on the always-on display coming in theiPhone 14 Pro. But when you look at the available customisation, you’re limited to a very small area of the display. Given that you’ve got a whole iPhone screen to play with here, there’s no real reason why you should be cramming all your info into the top third of the Lock Screen.
Unless…
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Is the iOS 16 Lock Screen future-proof for a foldable?
The basic design of folding phones is pretty well established now. You have a big folding screen inside, and a smaller panel on the outside. That panel doesn’t need to do everything; that’s what the big screen is for. All you really need is the time, key notifications and maybe a couple of status widgets.
With that in mind, look at the widget version of the iOS 16 Lock Screen I’ve posted above from myiPhone 13 Pro, which has the same size of display as theiPhone 14 Prois expected to have. Now, imagine that the top third is the front display of a folding iPhone. And when you factor in that one rumour says that Apple was considering a monochrome E-ink panel instead of an OLED, those simple, single-colour widgets on the Lock Screen look tailor-made for that – and just as useful for an always-on OLED that isn’t too distracting.
I’m purely speculating, of course. But a foldingiPhone 15or iPhone 16 with that widget setup on the front, the camera bump on the back and a normal iPhone screen on the inside would be pretty much my perfect phone. And I think it’d be pretty appealing to a lot of other iPhone fans too.
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Whatever foldable Apple is working on, we won’t see it any time soon: so far it seems like the most likely launch of an Apple foldable is 2025, and it’s possible that Apple may make afolding iPadfirst because it’s been having trouble getting the right amount of glass for a folding iPhone. So for now I’m just going to have to Photoshop my widgets onto aSamsung GalaxyFlip 4 and hope that I’m thinking what Apple’s thinking.
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