ZDNET readers seem to have a love-hate relationship with one of Apple’s newest features on iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — the Always On display.
Some owners love it, some hate it. And some owners love that, but their partners hate the fact that there’s a glowing iPhone on their nightstand at night.
Yes, that can be annoying.
But there is a fix. Yes, a few fixes. But before we get to them, let’s get acquainted with the Always On display. Specifically, when it’s supposed to be off.
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Based on Apple support, there are some cases where the screen has to automatically darken to avoid distractions. Your iPhone learns your activity patterns and turns the screen off and on to match what it thinks are your patterns, including when you set up alarms or sleep schedules. It also darkens when:
- iPhone lying face down
- iPhone is in your pocket or bag
- Sleep Focus mode is on
- Low power mode is on
- iPhone is connected to CarPlay
- Continuous camera feature being used
- iPhone has not been used for a long time
- iPhone detects that it has moved away from the paired Apple Watch (the screen will turn back on when it’s close again)
Armed with this information, we know a few things to do. For example, at night, activate Sleep Spotlight (swipe down from the top right of the screen and tap Focus) or put your phone in Low Power Mode (swipe down from the top right of the screen and tap the battery icon), or you can start an alarm and let iPhone learn your patterns.
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Don’t want to mess with alarms and focus settings?
Well, face down your iPhone.
If you charge by cable there is no problem. But if you use a wireless charging dock or MagSafe socket, that would be a bit awkward or completely inefficient. In that case, just throw a cloth or put a book on top — that’s what I’m doing.
Finally, you can also turn off Always On: Tap Settings > Display & Brightnessscroll down Alwaysand transform Always Turn off.
