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Device guide — iOS & iPadOS

Keep your iPhone screen awake

On iPhone the screen timeout is called Auto-Lock, and it beats most other settings. Here are the four ways to keep the display on — and the one iOS quirk that overrides them all.

Option 1: Auto-Lock → Never

  1. Open Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock.
  2. Choose from 30 seconds to 5 minutes — or Never.

“Never” is the permanent fix, with two honest downsides: it applies everywhere (not just the recipe app you needed it for), and you must remember to switch it back. An always-on phone screen is a real battery drain, and on OLED iPhones a static bright image for many hours isn't kind to the panel either.

The catch: Low Power Mode wins

With Low Power Mode on, iOS forces Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and greys the setting out. So if your phone keeps dimming despite your setting, check Settings → Battery first. This is the single most common “my iPhone won't stay awake” cause.

Option 2: StandBy (charging + landscape)

Since iOS 17, placing a charging iPhone on its side in landscape enables StandBy — a persistent glanceable display of clocks, widgets and photos. If your real need is “a desk screen that stays on while charging”, StandBy is the native answer: enable it under Settings → StandBy.

Option 3: Guided Access for kiosk-style use

Handing the phone to a customer, or using an old iPhone as a dedicated display? Guided Access (Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access) pins the device to one app; triple-clicking the side button starts a session. In Guided Access the screen stays on for the session — the standard Auto-Lock doesn't interrupt it.

Option 4: The browser tool (no settings touched)

This site works on iOS 16.4+ — in Safari and, because Apple requires every iOS browser to use the same WebKit engine, in Chrome and Firefox for iOS too. Open the tool, tap once, and the screen won't dim or lock while the tab is frontmost. Switching apps or locking the phone ends it, by design.

Heat and battery on long sessions

Keeping an iPhone screen lit for hours generates heat, especially while charging. For all-day use, lower the brightness and give the phone airflow — or use StandBy/Auto-Lock Never instead of the browser approach.

Troubleshooting

  • Dims after 30 seconds no matter what: Low Power Mode is on.
  • Tool says “unsupported”: you're on iOS older than 16.4 — update iOS, or use Auto-Lock → Never.
  • Stops when you open another app: expected — the wake lock only holds while the page is on screen. Auto-Lock → Never or Guided Access survive app switching.