Here’s how to automate iPhone’s always-on display

December 30, 2023

2 min read

After debuting with the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple has continued to improve its always-on screen with software updates. Whether you’ve just got a 14 Pro or 15 Pro or haven’t customized your screen before, here’s how to automate iPhone always-on display.

After launching without much flexibility, Apple released the first always-on display customizations with iOS 16.2. That allowed users to turn off colored wallpapers and notifications from the always-on screen.

After that, Apple made it possible to schedule/automate when iPhone always-on is enabled via Focus Filters.

How to automate iPhone always-on display with Focus Filters

Open the Settings app on your iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max or 15 Pro/Pro Max (iOS 16.4 or later required)
Choose Focus > pick an existing Focus or create a new one
Swipe down, and under Focus Filters, tap Add Filter
At the bottom, choose the new “Always On Display”
The default will be to turn it on, tap Add in the top right corner
To automate this, make sure you have either Smart Activation on or a schedule set for the Focus you’ve added always-on to (just above Focus Filters)

You can also tie the always-on on/off filter to different Lock Screens by linking them with a Focus mode (long-press on your Lock Screen > tap Focus)
Jump into another Focus mode and set always-on to off to automate the feature

Always-on display Shortcuts

You can also set up control of the always-on display in the Shortcuts app – which offers Siri support:

Open the Shortcuts app
Tap the + in the top right corner
Choose Add Action
Use the search bar to find “Set Always On Display”
Tap the blue Turn or On buttons to customize what will happen when you run the Shortcut
Tap Done in the top right corner to add your new Shortcut

Thanks for checking out our guide on how to automate the iPhone always-on display! Does this make the feature more appealing to you? Share your thoughts in the comments!