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       Do You Use It? iPhone Always-On Display Popular but Not Universal

   Adam Engst

   One of the innovative bits of technical wizardry in last year's iPhone
   14 Pro was the [1]Always-On display. It's a marvel, displaying helpful
   information on a dimmed screen while using minimal extra power. Apple
   debuted the Always-On display with the Apple Watch four years ago (see
   '[2]Apple Watch Series 5 Introduces Always-On Display,' 10 September
   2019), and the company's engineers must have thought, 'Hey, let's do
   that with the iPhone, too.' Unsurprisingly, the new iPhone 15 Pro
   models retain the Always-On display, and it seems no different than the
   iPhone 14 Pro's version.

   We have now had a year to live with the Always-On display'enough time
   for the novelty to have worn off'which caused me to wonder if I am
   unusual in not liking it. [3]Our poll showed that I'm by no means alone
   among TidBITS readers. Roughly a third of respondents said they had
   turned off the Always-On display, but nearly two-thirds keep it on.

   Always-On fans gave expected reasons for liking it'it provides valuable
   information at a glance, most notably the date and time. Other Lock
   Screen information that people like being able to see includes timers,
   device battery life, and tracking of delivery or ride requests. Most
   people appreciated seeing Lock Screen photos of loved ones and pets.

   Simultaneously, many of the naysayers said they found Lock Screen
   information distracting, even though Apple provides switches to hide
   the wallpaper and notifications while keeping the date, time, and
   widgets visible on an otherwise black screen. Plus, I imagine that some
   people are like me and find that a completely dark screen doesn't
   trigger as much desire to pick up the iPhone as does a visible
   interface. Of course, putting the iPhone face down on a surface would
   have much the same effect, although an incoming notification wouldn't
   then wake the screen in a helpful way. When I enabled the Always-On
   display for a while during the poll, just to see if my opinions had
   changed, I found that I couldn't stop looking at the iPhone screen when
   it was within my sight, which wasn't true when it was dark.

   The other common rationale for turning off the Always-On display was to
   improve battery life. Although Apple says it uses 'new technologies
   that make the display incredibly power efficient,' keeping the
   Always-On display active does consume some power. How much that affects
   everyday usage seems to vary, with some people seeing no practical
   impact and others finding that it makes a real difference. One person
   reported that Apple support had suggested that he turn off Always-On to
   help with his iPhone 14 Pro dying after 10'12 hours.

   Ultimately, there's no correct answer here'you should do what you like.
   If you find the Always-On display distracting or want to make the most
   of your charge, turn it off in Settings > Display & Brightness. And if
   you like the idea but find it somewhat distracting, perhaps try turning
   off the wallpaper and notifications before deactivating it entirely.

   

References

   Visible links
   1. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213435
   2. https://tidbits.com/2019/09/10/apple-watch-series-5-introduces-always-on-display/
   3. https://talk.tidbits.com/t/do-you-use-it-iphone-14-pro-always-on-display/24221/1

   Hidden links:
   4. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/09/DYUI-Always-On-results.png
   5. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/09/Always-On-display-scaled.jpg

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