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iOS 16.4 to detail Always-On display battery consumption for iPhone 14 Pro users

One of the new features of the iPhone 14 Pro is the Always-On display, which reduces the refresh rate to 1Hz while the phone is not in use. That way, users can quickly check the time and widgets on the Lock Screen even when the screen is “off.” This feature undeniably has an impact on battery life, but Apple will soon let users see details about the battery consumption of the Always-On display.

Details about Always-On battery consumption

Even though a lot of users have always wanted an Always-On display on the iPhone, the feature comes with a price. In this case, it’s the higher battery consumption. Even with all the optimizations, such as reducing the screen refresh rate to 1Hz when the screen is not in use, showing elements on the screen still uses more battery than not showing anything at all.

Since the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro, a bunch of users have shared tests on the web comparing the battery drain when Always-On is enabled. And for people who really want to know how much battery life the feature drains, Apple will make this easier with iOS 16.4.

As noted by 9to5Mac in the code of the iOS 16.4 beta, which was released on Thursday to developers, the company is adding details about the battery consumption of the Always-On feature in the Settings app. This means that users will see a new category specific to the Always-On display in the Battery menu, similar to how it already shows specific categories for things like Personal Hotspot and No Cell Coverage.

It’s uncertain at this point whether the feature is already enabled in this beta since it will probably take at least a few hours before iOS has enough statistics to detail Always-On display battery consumption. Still, this should help users decide whether they want to keep the feature enabled or not.

According to some comparative tests, the Always-On feature can drain up to 20% of an iPhone 14 Pro’s battery in 24 hours. If the user chooses to keep Always-On enabled but without the wallpaper, the phone drains about 14% of the battery in the same period.

More about iOS 16.4

iOS 16.4 also includes the ability to enable push notifications for web apps, dozens of new emoji, new Shortcuts actions, interface tweaks to Apple Music, and more. The first beta is only available for registered developers at this point.

Spot any changes in today’s release of iOS 16.4 beta 1 or iPadOS 16.4 beta 1? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @9to5Mac.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.

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