iOS 11 GM (golden master) is the final version of iOS 11 that’s ready to be pushed out to the masses. We are expecting this OTA update to be made available sometime around Apple’s big launch event this week. However, it looks like Apple themselves may have already let the cat out of the bag. That’s right, one of the biggest software releases from Apple this year has been leaked! iOS 11 GM is out in the wild!
Now, I’m not the kind of person who can dive into some software and pull out interesting tibits from the code. Luckily, there are people on Twitter to do that for me! A few Twitter users have been checking out the iOS 11 GM code and even getting it to run on their iOS devices. The result is some interesting shots of how the iPhone X status bar will look.
As you may know, the iPhone X is going to have a revolutionary design. The bezel-less display was pretty much confirmed by Apple themselves after another leak from the company earlier this summer. The top of the display will feature a cutout where the earpiece and front-facing sensors will sit. It’s going to be a very unique design with the display stretching around the cutout to form what some affectionately refer to as “bunny ears.” How these bunny ears would work with the traditional status bar was a big question a lot of people still had in the lead up to the iPhone X launch. I figured we would just have to be patient and wait to find out during the launch event. However, this leak has given us a lot of information about the status bar.
Guilherme Rambo and Steve T-S have both been digging through the iOS 11 GM leak to give us some more information about what to expect, especially with the status bar. If you have some time, scroll through their Twitter timelines as there are some great images and discussion to check out.
Here is an image that shows how the status bar will appear when room is left for the iPhone X notch at the top of the display:
As you can see, the time will be shown on the left and the network connection, battery icon, and WiFi icon will be shown on the right. The above image is obviously running on an older iOS device where there is no notch at the top of the display so it looks like there is a lot of available space. Obviously, the iPhone X will have a notch there and there won’t be any unused space at the top of the device. Also, in case you were wondering, D22 is the internal code name for the iPhone X. We have seen this name used in the HomePod leak earlier this summer and now in the iOS 11 GM leak as well.
I haven’t yet seen any display of how the iPhone X status bar might respond to touch. If you pull down from each “ear” will you get a different set of options? Can you even use touch to interact with the status bar? This is still unanswered but as more people dive into the iOS 11 GM code we should get some answers.
As well, there isn’t much shown in photos or video about the gestures that the iPhone X will use. We know that there will be no home button on the device which means that, most likely, gestures will be used to navigate through various apps and settings. This is going to be a huge change for dedicated Apple users who have enjoyed the convenience of the home button since the iPhone was first introduced. However, the home button was becoming dated with more and more devices moving to bezel-less displays. Apple had to keep up and that meant losing the home button.
With iOS 11 GM now leaked, we might be able to get a good look at how iPhone X gestures will work prior to the launch event. If not, then I guess we won’t have to wait long. Apple’s much-anticipated event is going down tomorrow and there will be a lot to take in on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Not only do we expect to see the new iPhone X status bar and more in all its bezel-less glory but there will also likely be a new Apple Watch and Apple TV. It’s going to be a big day for tech fans around the world. Are you getting excited yet?
