How to put iPhone in StandBy mode

💡 Need to know

• Charging is required. StandBy only appears when your iPhone® is plugged into power.
• Turn it sideways. Your iPhone needs to be locked and in landscape orientation.
• It's customizable. Swap out widgets, clocks, and photos to make StandBy your own.
• Not seeing it? Make sure StandBy is turned on in Settings and your iPhone is running iOS 17 or later.

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If your iPhone® spends a lot of time charging on your desk or nightstand, you might as well let it do something useful.

StandBy turns your locked iPhone into a full-screen display for clocks, widgets, photos, and Live Activities, making it much easier to check the information you use every day at a glance.

Asurion Experts help people get more out of their Apple® devices every day. Here's how to set up StandBy, customize it, and fix the most common reasons it doesn't appear.

What is StandBy mode?

Think of StandBy as a smarter lock screen. Instead of leaving your iPhone sitting on a charger doing nothing, StandBy fills the display with useful information you can see from across the room. Depending on how you set it up, that might be a large digital clock, your favorite photos, a stack of widgets, or Live Activities like sports scores and food deliveries.

It only works when the phone is locked, connected to power, and sitting in landscape orientation. Once those conditions are met, StandBy takes over automatically.

How to turn on StandBy mode

Before changing anything else, make sure the feature is actually enabled. Open Settings > StandBy, then turn StandBy on.

Once that's done:

1. Plug your iPhone into a charger.
2. Lock the screen.
3. Turn the phone sideways.
4. Wait a few seconds.

That's all there is to it.

If you're using an iPhone with an Always-On display, StandBy can remain visible continuously. Other models will dim the screen after a short time, which is completely normal.

How to customize StandBy mode

We usually tell people to spend a minute setting up the widget view first. Weather, Calendar, Reminders, battery levels—whatever you check most often can live right there without unlocking the phone.

To do so, touch and hold the widget stack, unlock your iPhone if prompted, then add, remove, or rearrange widgets just like you would on your Home Screen.

From there, swipe over to the clock or Photos view. You can change clock styles, choose which photo albums appear, and enable features like Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions so StandBy changes throughout the day based on what you're doing.

How to turn off StandBy mode on iPhone

If you decide StandBy isn't for you, turning it off only takes a few seconds. Go to Settings > StandBy, then switch StandBy off.

The next time you charge your iPhone in landscape orientation, you'll see the regular lock screen instead.

Why is iPhone StandBy mode not working?

StandBy usually doesn't stop working because something is broken. More often, one of the requirements simply isn't being met.

Double-check that your iPhone is:

• Connected to power.
• Locked.
• Sitting in landscape orientation.
• Running iOS 17 or later.
• Using StandBy with the feature turned on in Settings.

If everything looks right and StandBy still doesn't appear, restart your iPhone and try again. Temporary software glitches can occasionally interfere with new iOS features, and a restart is often enough to get things working normally again.

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FAQ

Which iPhones support StandBy mode?

Any iPhone that supports iOS 17 or later can use StandBy. Always-On display features are limited to newer Pro models.

Does StandBy work without charging?

No. Your iPhone needs to be connected to power before StandBy will appear.

Can I customize the widgets in StandBy?

Yes. Touch and hold the widget view to add, remove, or rearrange widgets.

Why does my StandBy screen turn off?

That's normal on iPhones without an Always-On display. The screen dims to conserve power.

Can I turn StandBy mode off?

Absolutely. Open Settings > StandBy and switch the feature off whenever you like.