iPhone 6 'hidden code' could indicate sharper screens or bigger phones

Code discovered in iOS 8 beta could be clue to rumoured bigger screens

(Getty Images)

New code buried in a test version of the iPhone’s software indicate that the iPhone 6’s screen could be even sharper than its predecessors’ — or confirm that Apple is looking to launch a much bigger version of its phone.

The iPhone 6 — which is expected to be launched in two versions on September 9, potentially alongside a smart watch — is also thought to include a super-durable sapphire screen, which will stop it getting scratched.

If there are two versions, it will be the first time that Apple has made two sizes of a phone at the same time, and some have suggested that the larger screen will be a stretched version of the smaller.

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Apple previewed the new iOS 8 operating system at an event in June, and is expected to unveil its new phones on September 9. Source: Getty Images (Getty Images)

The code, discovered by developer James Thomson, allows the phone to pull images at three times the size, in addition to those two times ones that are currently used. The iPhone usually uses the clearest version of the image that it needs, but the code seems to indicate that iOS beta has the option of using images too large for any released iPhone.

It could indicate that Apple is simply looking to increase the resolution of its new phones, or be a way of the company to have two screens in different sizes.

The software only uses the bigger image in specific situations, meaning that it could be a bug. But the fact that it is able to pull up images at three times the resolution, and not larger ones, likely mean that the inconsistent behaviour is evidence instead that it has simply not been moved across all , 9to5mac said.