- Apple announced a new iPhone feature Monday called StandBy that will roll out with iOS17 this fall.
- StandBy basically transforms your iPhone into a horizontal smart display when your phone is charging.
Apple iPhones will soon get a new feature with iOS 17 that can transform your phone into an intelligent display that seems suspiciously like Amazon's Echo Show.
Apple revealed the new feature, $4, on Tuesday at its WWDC conference. StandBy mode will basically turn your phone into a smart display while it's charging in landscape mode that can show information like the time, alerts, weather, calendar events, live sports scores, delivery updates, and much more. And if you're in data overload, it can also just act as a digital photo frame, displaying your favorite pictures.
"Just by turning iPhone on its side while charging, you get a new, full-screen experience with glanceable information designed to be viewed at a distance," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering said at the event. "StandBy is perfect for your nightstand, kitchen counter, or desk."
It's a new nifty feature, but it sure looks and sounds a lot like the Amazon Echo Show — another device jockeying for a spot on your nightstand.
Like the Echo Show, StandBy mode will also take advantage of widgets so that you can customize the experience when your phone is docked. You will also be able to play music and use Siri when your phone is in StandBy mode. Similarly, you can play music and use voice-integrated Alexa with the Echo Show.
One of the biggest differences between the Echo Show and Apple's new StandBy mode is the price. The Echo Show starts pricing at $89.99, but StandBy mode will be free on your iPhone once you upgrade to iOS 17, which will be available for download in the fall. Another big difference is the Show comes in larger sizes. The largest size, for example, is 15.6 inches and costs almost $250, or $280 with a remote. The biggest iPhone is the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which has a display size of 6.7 inches.
While it's too soon to know whether the new iPhone feature will have an impact on sales of Amazon's Echo Show, it's clear the device certainly has some new competition.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.