You asked for it, and Apple is going to deliver - you will be able to turn off the wallpaper in always-on display mode in iPhone 14 Pro.
iOS 16.2 Will Let You Turn off Wallpaper and Notifications in Always-on Display Mode in iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
Disagree with me all you want but the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max deliver the best-ever always-on display experience. Instead of going all monochrome and hiding everything in favor of a clock only, Apple just dims down the display whenever you lock your phone. It's superb eye candy, and we absolutely love it.
However, that always-on display comes at the cost of battery life, and you can remedy it by simply turning off the always-on feature completely or applying a dark wallpaper. It kinda sucks that Apple doesn't let you turn off the wallpaper completely in always-on mode, especially if saving battery life is your priority.
All of that is about to change with iOS 16.2, though. Once downloaded and installed, you can set your iPhone to not show the wallpaper at all when you lock your phone. You can even set it to not show notifications in always-on mode. If you've been waiting for this feature to arrive, then simply look forward to iOS 16.2.
This isn't the only feature you should look forward to. iPadOS 16.2 adds external monitor support for Stage Manager with M1 and M2. Currently, it will simply mirror whatever there is on the iPad Pro display in the same aspect ratio as an external monitor. Stage Manager does not take advantage of an external display's aspect ratio at all if you have an M1 or M2 iPad Pro running iPadOS 16.1. That will change with iPadOS 16.2.
This is how it will look like - no black bars on the side at all:
iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 are expected to be released sometime in December. Right now, you can take the beta for a spin absolutely free if you sign up for the Beta Software Program as a public beta tester. If you already have access to the Apple Developer Program and are already paying the $99 annual fee, you can also take that route.
