iOS 17 leak claims huge Maps Lock Screen changes are coming

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

Really though?

Apple Maps lock screen concept
(Image credit: @analyst941)

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.

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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.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Annie_M
    I'm curious to see what this turns out to be. Before having CarPlay, I would really have appreciated having access to Maps on my lock screen while traveling.
    Reply
  • EdwinG
    I really don't like it. I prefer the current iteration of turn-by-turn directions which use the entire screen.

    When driving, easily glanceable information in a fraction of a second is key. If you make it smaller, it will make it harder to understand. And by extension, make it harder to understand.
    Reply
  • Wotchered
    I don’t fancy it, I’m just getting comfortable with Apple Maps turn by turn stuff. I don’t want to see a map all the time, makes me feel like someone is looking back at me ! In fact I dislike any first page stuff, what’s the point if I have to go into the app for detail ? Redundancy to cover lack of innovation is what.
    Reply