Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max with its always-on screen.
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max have just gone on sale (read a review of both here on Forbes). One of the standout features is the always-on display, which leaves the screen partly visible at all times instead of dimming to blackness as previous iPhones have done.
Plenty of Android phones have always-on screens, designed with the same purpose as here, to show the time, how many notifications are waiting, perhaps some other details like a cute animated figure—Huawei is the king of this last detail.
But Apple’s version is completely different. Where all the others switch to a black background with some, generally monochrome, detail, the iPhone barely changes. The colors in the favorite photograph you chose as your lock screen is dimmed, but still completely recognizable while the clock shines out brightly.
You never need tap your iPhone screen again just to check the time.
So, what’s the effect on battery life? Some users have said they feel it makes a big difference but in my experience there’s little to no loss of battery life (though it’s the first question almost everyone has asked me when they’ve seen the phone). Ask me again in a few months.
The always-on screen in standby mode on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Some have said the lock screen isn’t dim enough. I haven’t found this a problem. Having the phone next to me at night, I’ve seen the ambient light sensor in action, dimming the display so much it’s less bright than the Apple Watch in Nightstand mode when the digital time is displayed.
Even so, I recognize that some people want something dimmer and at the moment the only thing to do is turn the always-on screen off.
If you want to do that, by the way, go to Settings, Display and scroll down to Always On where, obviously, you toggle the switch to off.
Apple has some tricks up its sleeve, meaning it’s not really always-on. I’ve mentioned some of these in my post about things nobody told you. But here’s the complete list of situations where the always-on is, well, off.
First, if the iPhone is face down. When the iPhone senses it’s turned face down, the screen goes dark. Similarly, when it’s obstructed, for instance, if the iPhone senses it’s in your pocket or bag. Third, if Sleep Focus is enabled and fourth, if low power mode is swiched on.
Additionaly, if the iPhone is connected to CarPlay. After all, you should be looking at the road or, at a pinch, the CarPlay screen, not your phone.
Continuity Camera, that feature which lets you connect your iPhone to a Mac to use it as a highly sophisticated webcam, also turns off the always-on screen.
Lastly, and this is my favorite, if you’re wearing an Apple Watch and you walk away from the iPhone, it assumes you don’t need to see the always-on screen and switches off.
As more people get to use the always-on display, we’ll see if Apple meets enough reaction to alter the feature. Personally, I love it as it is.
