Apple’s upcoming smartphone operating system, iOS 17, will reportedly include a feature that transforms the iPhone into a smart home display.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the feature will work when you lock your iOS 17-running iPhone and place it horizontally on a surface or a MagSafe charger. It allows your iPhone to show useful information such as calendar events, weather updates, notifications and more on the Lock Screen.
The feature, codenamed Dawn, is similar to what smart home devices like Amazon’s Echo Show or Google’s Nest Hub offer, but with the advantage of using the iPhone’s existing hardware and software, making the smartphone more functional when it’s not being used actively.
The feature will use a dark background with light-coloured text to make the information easy to read on the display. Apple plans to show off Dawn as part of iOS 17 at its WWDC event on June 5th.
Bloomberg suggests the move is part of a broader push to display live information in more parts of Apple device software, including the Apple Watch.
From what we know so far, iOS 17 will also introduce a significant update to the Apple Wallet user interface and improve ‘Find My’ as part of a broader push for location-related features. Apple is also reportedly working on a new version of Messages. The updated Messages app might receive a new “home area” along with chat rooms, video clips, and AR chat features. While the rumour is somewhat sketchy, it’s worth keeping an eye on as we learn more about iOS 17 in the coming months.
