What's That Strange Bar at the Top of iOS 7 Lock Screen?

For some users, there's a new, odd looking bar at the top of the iOS 7 Lock Screen. What is that exactly?

Here's what the bar looks like.

It turns out that the bar is both a notification and a touch prompt that you can pull down from there and see notifications from the Lock Screen. The bar is enabled when you set Settings -> Notification Center -> Notifications View. It looks like this:

Turning this Setting to ON causes the bar to appear.

The same applies to “Today View.”

If you don't want notifications or Today View accessible from the Lock Screen, turn both those settings to Off. The bar will disappear, and its absence will remind you of your iPhone's setting.

It's a nice little touch that's also a security measure. If the iPhone falls into the wrong hands, your notifications (and possibly travel plans) won't be available to view. Unless you really need this feature, for better security, it's probably a good idea to set both “Notification's View” and “Today View” to Off.