Anyone that’s familiar with the Apple Watch knows how enjoyable it was to go from a standard display to an always-on watch face view. An always-on display makes accessing information faster and it does away with those inconvenient moments when the watch face doesn’t wake up as it should and you have to shake your wrist again to see what time it is.

While an always-on screen seems like a real battery waster and a potential security issue, there would be some real perks to the tech as well, and Apple could have access to all the technology to make this advancement happen in the next iPhone.

Enter the LTPO Display

Apple unveiled its LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) screen technology on the iPhone 13 Pro phone allowing the device to offer significantly improved battery performance. This advanced screen allows the device to adjust the refresh rate down from the 120Hz max to a low of just 10Hz. The tech is used in the 13 Pro to view text and other static images while drawing significantly less power.

Other companies such as Samsung and Oppo have displays that can drop as low as 1Hz for non-moving images, and this is the exact technology Apple could use to make an always-on display that won’t kill your battery.

Are There Security Concerns?

Anyone that’s worried about the security implications of an always-on display has little to fear, even on something as private as a smartphone. Apple could maintain an always-on display without doing away with a lock screen.

Imagine a smartphone with an always-on lock screen that displays the time as well as potential notifications without giving away valuable information or allowing access to device features. This is likely the setup Apple would use for an always-on display while leveraging its Face-ID security feature to manage lock screen deactivation.