Mac-driven voices on the web are pointing out to two Apple-filed patents regarding interface enhancements, including faster access to application settings and an interactive notification panel, both accessible while the phone is in a locked state. It is widely believed that these additions are making their way onto handsets with the next iPhone OS update.

"The user interface has a plurality of application icons,” goes the first filing, made in December by members of Apple's iPhone software development team, according to AppleInsider. Not only it proposes a new global preference pane, but, presumably, an API will also be in order for developers, the site suggests.

“In response to a first gesture, the GUI changes the appearances of the application icons whose corresponding applications have user-adjustable settings," the filing explains. "In response to a second gesture on a selected application icon whose appearance is changed, the GUI displays user-adjustable settings of an application that corresponds to the selected application icon. In response to one or more additional gestures, the GUI changes one or more user-adjustable settings of the application that corresponds to the selected application icon.” This way, the filing adds, "the invention provides a transparent and intuitive user interface for finding and changing application settings on a portable electronic device with a touch screen display".

A second filing followed just a few months later, talking about “Improved Notification of Missed Communications”. The patent filing proposes improvements to the iPhone's notification dialog that informs users of missed calls, text messages, and voicemails, either when the user is away or when the iPhone is in locked state.

"In response to detecting an interaction by a user with the device, the plurality of icons display notification information for the plurality of communication modalities," the second filing reveals. "In response to detecting an unlock interaction by the user with the device, the device is unlocked, and a communication in the plurality of communications is presented that was received while the device was in the locked state, or information about the communication is presented."