Apple is expected to announce the iOS 17 iPhone software update at its WWDC23 event on June 5 and expectations are high. We've already seen a ton of leaks claiming to show us what will come from this release and a new one might be the most surprising yet.
According to this new leak, Apple is readying a new Lock Screen view that will effectively replace everything except the clock with the Maps app, a tweak on the current iOS 16 implementation.
It isn't immediately clear what the benefit of such a big Apple Maps Lock Screen revamp would be beyond putting some Lock Screen elements back on-screen. But it also isn't yet clear how accurate this specific leak will turn out to be, either.
A strange rumor
The leak itself comes via Twitter user @analyst941 who has been on a real spree of late, both relating to the iPhone 15 Pro and the iOS 17 update specifically. They don't have a particularly long history of getting these kinds of things right, but they did predict the arrival of the iPhone 14 Pro and its Dynamic Island in 2022.
Love it or don’t, Apple doesn’t care - this is the new Maps “Live Activity” for Lock Screen (all iPhones).- Seamless transition when unlocking.- View notifications over the map by swiping up as usual.- shows most Lock Screen elements until unlocked (except widgets afaik). pic.twitter.com/7PUwRUXgVxMay 8, 2023
However, some of the leaks shared in recent weeks have seemed unlikely and this is one of those.
That being said, here's what we're hearing — the new Maps Lock Screen will be what appears to be an expanded Live Activity with notifications visible when swiping up from the bottom of the display. No widgets will be displayed while the Maps view is engaged, it seems, while the leaker claims that "you can minimize the map to the size of the music player on the Lock Screen, and re-maximize it by tapping the activity." Buttons for the camera and flashlight are there, however.
At this point, it's important to remember that none of this is confirmed and we won't know Apple's plans until that June 5 event.
We can expect iOS 17 to go through months of betas before rolling out to the public in September alongside new iPhones. The new models will include the best iPhone to date, the iPhone 15 Pro while a cheaper iPhone 15 lineup will also be available.
