Phone & Tablet

Beginner

4 min read 4 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

How to Turn On and Customize Always-On Display on iPhone and Android

Always-On Display keeps the time, date, and notifications visible on your screen even when your phone is locked — here is how to set it up.

At a Glance

Enable Always-On Display on iPhone 14 Pro or newer

~28s

Open the Settings app and tap Display and Brightness. Scroll down and tap Always On. Toggle it on. That is all — your lock screen will now stay visible with dimmed clock and wallpaper when the phone is resting face-up. To customize what shows on the AOD lock screen, go to Settings and tap Lock Screen to adjust widgets and wallpaper.

Quick Tip

If you do not see an "Always On" option in Display and Brightness, your iPhone model does not support this feature.

Enable Always-On Display on a Samsung Galaxy phone

~32s

Open the Settings app and tap Lock Screen and AOD (the exact label varies slightly by phone model — some say "Lock Screen" and then have an AOD section inside). Tap Always On Display. Toggle it on. Samsung gives you extra options: you can set it to show all the time, only when new notifications arrive, or only during a scheduled time window you choose.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Samsung's AOD can show the time in many styles — analog clock, digital clock, minimal bars, and more. Tap Clock Style inside the AOD settings to browse options.

Enable Always-On Display on Google Pixel phones

~20s

Open the Settings app and tap Display. Tap Lock Screen. Find the option labeled "Always show time and info" and toggle it on. On Pixel phones this is called "At a glance" display and shows the time, date, and notification icons. You can also tap "Now Playing" to show song names automatically when music is playing near you.

Adjust when AOD is active to save battery

~31s

On Samsung phones, inside the AOD settings page, tap Show AOD and change the setting from "Always" to either "When New Notifications" (AOD only lights up when you have an unread notification) or "Schedule" (set specific hours, like 7 AM to 11 PM). On iPhones, AOD automatically turns off when face-down or in a pocket — there is no manual schedule setting.

Warning

If your phone will sit in a bright sunlit area all day, AOD will draw slightly more power to stay visible. In those situations, turning it off can help preserve battery.

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Always-On Display (often called AOD) is a feature that keeps a dim version of your lock screen visible at all times — even when your phone is "asleep." Instead of a completely dark, blank screen, you can glance at your phone and see the time, date, battery level, and any notification icons without having to pick it up or press any buttons.

This feature is available on: - iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro models - Samsung Galaxy phones (S series, Z series, and many A series phones) - Google Pixel 6 Pro and newer Pixel phones

On older iPhones (iPhone 13 and below), Always-On Display is not available because those screens do not support the low-power technology needed to keep a portion of the display lit all the time. An older iPhone's screen can only be fully on or fully off.

When Always-On Display is enabled, the screen stays at very low brightness to save battery. Manufacturers have optimized this carefully — on most phones, AOD uses only about 1-2% of battery per hour, so the impact is minimal. However, if battery life is a concern for you, you can set AOD to only turn on when your phone is charging, or you can schedule it to be active only during certain hours (like 8 AM to 10 PM).

On iPhone, Always-On Display is connected to the StandBy feature — when your phone is charging on its side or face-up, StandBy mode activates. AOD on iPhone works on the lock screen when the phone is face-up and not charging.

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Official Resources

Apple Support — iPhone Google Help — Android Samsung Support

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