‘I’ve never seen this before’ say iPhone owners finding secret ‘standby’ mode
YOUR iPhone has a hidden mode that you might’ve missed.
It only appears if you put your iPhone on charge and place it in a certain position.
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The mode is called StandBy, and it turns your iPhone into a kind of desk clock.
It was added in iOS 17 – just go to Settings > General > Software Update to make sure you’ve got the upgrade.
“You can use StandBy to turn your iPhone into a bedside clock, a photo frame, a display for viewing widgets or Live Activities in full screen, and more,” Apple explained.
On some phones, StandBy can stay on persistently – rather than having to be woken.
This works on Always-On Display iPhone modelsincluding:
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
On other modelsyou’ll need to tap the screen or gently nudge the table to view the screen.
You can set how long you want your iPhone display to stay on with StandBy.
Just go to Settings > StandBy > Display and choose one of the options.
In a Reddit thread about the feature, one user wrote: “I use it every night and I love it.”
Another said: “I mean I have this as my night time charger. Makes for a great clock. Dims when you’re not looking at it too.”
But many Apple fans didn’t know that the feature existed.
One wrote: “Am I legit the only one who doesn’t know what this is?”
STANDING BY!
Setting up StandBy is extremely easy.
First, go into Settings > StandBy and ensure that you’ve got StandBy toggled on.
Now connect your iPhone to a charger and place it on its side.
It’s important to make sure that the iPhone remains stationary – if it’s moving, StandBy Mode won’t work.
Another good option is to get a wireless charging stand that suspends the iPhone in the air magnetically – The US Sun tried one last year.
Now press the Side Button, and then you can swipe left or right to switch between StandBy screens.
If Night Mode is active when StandBy is on then the screen will show items with a red tint so that it doesn’t annoy you if you’re trying to sleep.
You can edit your StandBy screen so that it’s customized to your exact preferences.