Is Your iPhone’s Always-On Display a Little Too Much? How To Tone It Down or Turn It Off

The iPhone’s always-on display, which debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro and continues with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro, was a big change for those used to seeing a completely black screen when locking their screen. Now, with AOD, you can always see what’s going on on your display, even when it’s “dimmed.”

Read more: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Review

The addition of the always-on display for the iPhone is a welcome feature for some, as it provides ambient information without having to pick up the phone and unlock it. You can simply glance over at your phone and check out the time or any important notifications you might have.

However, despite the latest iPhone 16 displays being able to go down all the way down to 1 nit of brightness, the AOD may be a little too much for some. Not to worry, though. If you want to go back to the days of a completely dark screen when your phone is placed down or locked, there’s a setting for that. We’ll show you how to do it below. 

For more, check out what to expect in iOS 18.2 and how to tweak the three most annoying iOS 18 features. 

The always-on display on iOS does temporarily turn itself off, but it depends…

Despite its name, the AOD will occasionally shut off. Apple has a list of instances when the display is turned completely off to conserve battery:

• Your iPhone is face down 
• Your iPhone is in your pocket or bag
• Your iPhone is connected to CarPlay
• Your iPhone is connected to your Apple Watch and you walk away
• Your iPhone is idle for a while (according to Apple, your iPhone learns your patterns and turns the AOD off automatically)
• Sleep Focus is enabled
• Low Power Mode is enabled
• You’re using a Continuity Camera

How to permanently turn off the always-on display on your iPhone

While all of the situations listed above will turn off the AOD temporarily, there is a way to manually and completely turn off the always-on display on the iPhone if you’re not a fan.

In the Settings application, go to Display & Brightness, scroll down to the bottom and go into Always On Display. To turn off AOD, toggle off Always On Display. 

If you like the idea of having an always-on display but just want to see the essentials, you can hide your wallpaper or notifications, or both, but keep AOD enabled. 

For more tech tips, check out the iOS 18 cheat sheet and one of the best iPhone Action button uses we’ve seen yet.