The always-on display on the iPhone, which made its debut with the iPhone 14 Pro and is still available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro, is a significant change from Android phones that previously possessed the functionality. With iOS 16, the lock screen was redesigned, and in typical Apple form, the always-on display was as ostentatious as it was useful.
For some people, the iPhone’s always-on display is a pleasant addition since it shows ambient information without requiring the user to pick up and unlock the phone. Just take a quick look at your phone to see what time it is and if you have any vital alerts.
The AOD could be a little too much for certain people, even though the most recent iPhone 16 screens can reduce brightness all the way to 1 nit. But don’t worry. There is an option to return your phone to the time when it had a fully dark screen when you put it down or locked it. Below, we’ll demonstrate how to accomplish it.
iOS’s always-on display does momentarily shut off itself, although it varies.
In spite of its name, the AOD may sometimes turn off. In order to save battery life, Apple provides a list of situations in which the display is entirely off:
- You have your iPhone facing down.
- You have your iPhone in your purse or pocket.
- CarPlay is enabled on your iPhone.
- You leave with your Apple Watch and iPhone linked.
- After a period of inactivity, your iPhone automatically switches off the AOD (Apple claims that your iPhone recognizes your use habits).
- Sleep Focus is activated.
- Low Power Mode is activated.
- You have a continuity camera in use.
How to permanently disable your iPhone’s always-on display
Although the AOD will be momentarily disabled in all of the aforementioned scenarios, if you’re not a fan, you may manually and fully off the iPhone’s always-on display.
Navigate to Display & Brightness in the Settings app, then choose Always On Display by scrolling to the bottom. Toggle off Always On Display to disable AOD.
You may keep AOD enabled while hiding your wallpaper, notifications, or both if you want the notion of an always-on display but just want to view the necessities.