How To Customise Standby Mode | StandBy Views That Work

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To customise StandBy mode, open Settings > StandBy on iPhone and adjust views, widgets, notifications, and screen behavior to match your setup.

StandBy mode turns your iPhone into a simple smart display whenever it charges on its side. With a bit of tuning, that full-screen view can show the time, photos, widgets, or big alerts in a way that actually helps you through the day and night.

This guide walks through how to turn StandBy mode on, adjust the screen, choose what each panel shows, and shape notifications so they never feel overwhelming while your phone rests on a stand or night table.

What Standby Mode Does On iPhone

StandBy mode is an iOS feature that shows glanceable info when your iPhone is locked, charging, and placed horizontally. Once it kicks in, the entire screen becomes a simple dashboard with large text and cards that you can see from across the room.

There are three main StandBy views you can swipe between: a widget pair, a photo view, and a clock view. Each can be tailored, and your iPhone remembers the last layout you used on each charger or stand.

StandBy View What It Shows Best Use
Widgets Two large widgets, smart stacks, live activities Desk setups, workday glance info
Photos Selected albums, featured memories Living room or shared spaces
Clock Big clock faces, calendar, basic info Nightstand or bedside stand

On phones with an always-on display, StandBy can stay visible with a dimmed red tone at night. On other models, the screen goes dark after a while and wakes up again with a tap or a nudge.

Check If Your iPhone Can Use Standby Mode

StandBy mode arrived with iOS 17, so the first step is making sure your phone and software are ready. Most recent iPhones that can run iOS 17 or later can enter StandBy, even if they do not have an always-on display.

  1. Check Your iOS Version — Open Settings > General > Software Update and confirm that iOS 17 or later is installed.
  2. Confirm Charging Setup — StandBy only runs while the phone is charging, so use a wired charger, MagSafe stand, or Qi pad.
  3. Turn The Phone On Its Side — Place the iPhone in landscape orientation, with the screen facing you.
  4. Lock The Screen — Press the side button or let the screen lock on its own; the StandBy welcome screen appears the first time.

If nothing happens, double-check that the charger is actually supplying power, the phone is on its side, and the screen is locked. Many magnetic stands tilt the phone enough for StandBy to trigger, but flat pads work too as long as the phone sits in a stable sideways position.

For a deeper look at the official behavior, you can skim the Apple page on StandBy, which spells out the core requirements and display options.

How To Customise Standby Mode Settings On iPhone

Once StandBy mode is available, the main switches live in the Settings app. From there you can toggle the feature, control the screen, and tune night behavior so the display looks gentle when the lights go down.

Turn Standby Mode On Or Off

  1. Open Settings — Tap the grey gear icon on your Home Screen or App Library.
  2. Go To StandBy — Scroll down and tap StandBy in the list.
  3. Use The Main Toggle — Turn the StandBy switch on to enable the feature, or off if you want the phone to stay dark while charging on its side.

That master switch controls StandBy across all chargers and stands. If you share a dock with someone else or move your phone between rooms a lot, leaving it on usually makes life easier so you always get glanceable info when you set the phone down.

Set How Long The Standby Screen Stays On

StandBy has its own screen timeout rules, separate from the normal Auto-Lock setting. This makes a big difference, especially when the phone sits on a night table.

  1. Open StandBy Display Settings — In Settings > StandBy, tap Display.
  2. Pick A Display Duration — Choose one of the three options:
    • Automatically — The display turns off when the room is dark or the phone is not in use.
    • After 20 Seconds — The StandBy view stays visible for a short time, then goes dark.
    • Never — The screen stays on while StandBy runs, ideal for desk setups and bright spaces.

If you use StandBy next to your bed, the automatic option keeps the display from glowing all night. For a work desk or kitchen counter, the never option can make the phone feel like a small dashboard clock.

Use Night Mode And Motion Settings

StandBy can switch to a red-tinted clock in darker rooms and react when you move nearby, which protects your eyes during late hours and still lets you see the time with a slight gesture.

  1. Enable Night Mode — In Settings > StandBy, toggle Night Mode so the screen shifts to a red tone in low light.
  2. Turn On Motion Detection — Switch on the option that wakes the display when it senses motion; your iPhone lights up when you reach for it.
  3. Test In A Dark Room — Place the phone on its stand, turn off the lights, and check that the red clock appears instead of a bright white screen.

Night Mode keeps text readable while avoiding a harsh blue tint, which can make a big difference when you glance at the time at three in the morning.

Customise Standby Widgets, Photos, And Clock Faces

The fun part of customising StandBy mode lives on the StandBy screen itself. You can press and hold to change clock faces, pick favourite photo albums, and choose which widgets appear on the twin panels.

Change Widgets In Standby Mode

The widgets view shows two large slots side by side. Each can hold a single widget or a smart stack that flips between cards during the day.

  1. Enter StandBy View — Place your charging iPhone on its side and let StandBy appear.
  2. Go To The Widgets Pane — Swipe from left to right until you see two large cards, such as a clock and calendar.
  3. Press And Hold A Widget — Touch and hold the left or right card until an editing border appears.
  4. Add Or Remove Widgets — Tap the + button to add a widget, tap the minus icon to remove one you do not want.
  5. Build A Smart Stack — Drag widgets on top of each other to create a stack that you can swipe through on that side.

Many standard widgets already work nicely in StandBy mode, such as Weather, Calendar, Reminders, Music, and third-party apps that ship their own large widgets. Try stacking time-sensitive cards like timers and live activities on one side, with more static cards like calendar and weather on the other.

Pick Photo Albums For Standby Mode

The photo view turns StandBy into a digital frame. Rather than letting it pull random pictures, you can select the albums that cycle on screen.

  1. Swipe To The Photo View — In StandBy, swipe horizontally until a photo fills the screen.
  2. Enter Edit Mode — Press and hold on the photo until you see edit options.
  3. Choose Photo Sources — Pick from featured photos, system-made memories, or your own albums.
  4. Hide Unwanted Images — Remove albums that feel too personal for shared rooms, such as your office or living room.

This keeps StandBy friendly in shared spaces, showing travel shots, nature photos, or anything that feels right for the room without surfacing private images by surprise.

Change Clock Faces And Colours

The clock pane offers several styles, from bold digital faces to subtle analog layouts. You can pick different faces and colours until it feels easy to read from your usual viewing distance.

  1. Swipe To The Clock View — Move horizontally until you reach the full-screen clock.
  2. Press And Hold The Clock — Wait for the edit layout to appear with circles or tiles for each face.
  3. Choose A Clock Style — Swipe up or sideways to browse the available faces, then tap one.
  4. Adjust Colour — Tap the colour dot and slide through options until the clock stands out clearly.

Bold digital layouts suit people who check the time without glasses, while thinner analog faces feel nicer in quieter rooms. Pick what your eyes like best; you can always tweak it again later.

Control Notifications In Standby Mode

StandBy shows full-screen alerts for calls, messages, timers, and other events. That can be handy on a desk, but not everyone wants their alerts blown up across the room.

Adjust Standby Notification Style

  1. Open StandBy Settings — Go to Settings > StandBy on your iPhone.
  2. Find Notification Options — Look for switches related to showing notifications or notification previews while in StandBy.
  3. Pick Your Preference — Choose whether StandBy can show notifications, hide previews, or stay mostly clock-only during quiet times.

If your phone sits on a shared desk, hiding message previews keeps personal content private while still letting you see who is calling or which app wants attention.

Use Focus Modes With Standby

Focus modes and StandBy work together. A bedtime Focus, for instance, can keep most alerts silent while still letting alarms and urgent people get through.

  1. Open Focus Settings — In Settings, tap Focus.
  2. Pick A Focus Mode — Choose Sleep, Personal, Work, or a custom Focus.
  3. Set Allowed People And Apps — Pick who and which apps can interrupt that Focus.
  4. Schedule The Focus — Set a time window so your chosen Focus pairs with the periods when StandBy usually runs.

This keeps StandBy useful without turning your nightstand into a billboard for every push alert. You can glance at the big clock while knowing that only the alerts you care about will show up.

Standby Mode Tips For Nightstands, Desks, And Docks

A little hardware planning goes a long way. The right stand angle, charging style, and room layout make StandBy feel natural instead of fussy.

  • Pick A Stable Stand — Use a dock or stand that holds the phone firmly in landscape so StandBy does not flicker off when you bump the table.
  • Use A MagSafe Charger When Possible — Magnetic stands keep the phone aligned, which helps StandBy stay active and keeps charging solid.
  • Keep Glare Low — Place the phone where lamps and windows do not reflect straight into your eyes, then tune the clock colour for that angle.
  • Match View To Room — Use a photo view in shared rooms and a clock-heavy layout next to your bed so you always see what matters first.
  • Try Different Chargers — If StandBy fails to trigger, test another cable or brick to rule out weak power delivery.

StandBy feels best when you do not think about it at all: you drop the phone on a stand, glance once, and go back to whatever you were doing.

Troubleshooting Standby Mode When It Does Not Work

If StandBy mode refuses to appear or behaves strangely, a short checklist usually solves the problem before you need deeper fixes or a support chat.

Standby Mode Never Appears

  1. Check The StandBy Toggle — Confirm that Settings > StandBy has the main switch turned on.
  2. Confirm Charging Status — Look for the charging icon on the Lock Screen; if it is missing, swap the cable, brick, or wireless pad.
  3. Rotate The Phone Fully — Make sure the phone is truly on its side, not just slightly tilted.
  4. Lock The Screen Manually — Press the side button once after placing the phone on the stand to help kick StandBy into gear.

Standby Mode Turns Off Too Quickly

  1. Revisit Display Settings — In Settings > StandBy > Display, switch from After 20 Seconds to Never for a longer view.
  2. Reduce Strong Lighting — If bright light hits the sensor directly, try a slightly different angle so the phone does not misread the scene.
  3. Test With Night Mode Off — Toggle Night Mode off briefly to see if the red-tinted behavior is part of the issue.

Widgets Or Photos Do Not Stay The Way You Set Them

  1. Edit From Each Charger — Customisations can tie to specific chargers, so repeat your layout steps on every dock you use often.
  2. Lock The Layout — After setting widgets or albums, tap the Done button or exit edit mode cleanly before moving the phone.
  3. Update iOS — Glitches with layouts often vanish after the next point release, so keep your phone updated.

Most StandBy hiccups trace back to a loose cable, a stand that does not quite hold the phone sideways, or settings that were changed once and then forgotten. Running through the lists above usually gets your charging screen back to normal.

Quick Standby Mode Setup Checklist

When you want to customise StandBy mode fast on a new iPhone or charger, run through this quick pass once and you rarely need to think about it again.

  • Update And Enable — Install the latest iOS version, then turn on StandBy in Settings.
  • Pick A Screen Timeout — Choose a display option that fits the room: automatic for bedrooms, never for desks.
  • Build Your Widget Pair — Add a stack of time-sensitive widgets on one side and steady info on the other.
  • Set Safe Photo Albums — Select albums that look good in shared spaces without showing anything private.
  • Choose A Readable Clock — Try a few faces and colours until the time is easy to see from your usual spot.
  • Shape Alerts With Focus — Tie StandBy-heavy hours to a Focus so only the right alerts light up the screen.
  • Test Night Mode — Turn off the lights and check that the red tone feels gentle enough for late-night glances.

Once you have tuned these pieces, StandBy mode turns from a simple charging screen into a small, dependable display that matches each room, charger, and part of your day.