How to Change Your iPhone Standby Screen: A Complete Guide
iPhone's StandBy mode — introduced in iOS 17 — transforms your locked, charging iPhone into a smart display. Whether you want to show a clock, photos, or widgets, the standby screen is more customizable than most people realize. Here's exactly how it works, what you can change, and what shapes the experience for different users.
What Is iPhone StandBy Mode?
StandBy activates automatically when your iPhone is:
- Charging (wired or MagSafe/wireless)
- Locked
- Positioned horizontally (landscape orientation)
When all three conditions are met, the screen shifts into a full-screen ambient display. This is distinct from your regular lock screen — it's a separate layer built specifically for at-a-glance information when your phone sits on a nightstand, desk, or charging stand.
StandBy is available on iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max with always-on display capability, meaning the screen stays lit continuously. On other iOS 17-compatible iPhones, the screen dims and wakes when you interact with it or the room's ambient light changes.
How to Access and Change StandBy Screen Settings
Getting to StandBy customization is straightforward:
- Open Settings
- Tap StandBy
- Toggle StandBy on (if it isn't already)
To actually edit what appears on the standby screen, you do it directly on the StandBy display itself — not through the Settings menu. Here's how:
- Place your iPhone on a charger in landscape orientation
- Wait for StandBy to activate
- Long-press anywhere on the screen
- Swipe left or right to switch between the three main view types
- Tap the "+" button or swipe up/down within a view to change layouts and widgets
The Three StandBy Views You Can Customize 🕐
| View | What It Shows | Customizable? |
|---|---|---|
| Widgets | Two widget stacks side by side | Yes — add, remove, reorder |
| Photos | Featured or album-based photos | Yes — choose album source |
| Clock | Full-screen clock styles | Yes — multiple clock faces |
Widgets View
This is the most flexible option. Each side of the screen holds a widget stack — a vertical set of widgets you can swipe through. You can:
- Add widgets from apps like Calendar, Weather, Reminders, Stocks, and third-party apps
- Remove widgets you don't want
- Enable or disable Smart Rotate, which automatically surfaces the most relevant widget based on time and activity
Long-pressing the widget stack lets you enter edit mode, where a "+" icon adds new widgets and a minus (–) icon removes existing ones.
Photos View
The Photos view cycles through your library using Apple's Featured Photos algorithm, or you can point it to a specific album. To change which photos appear, long-press the Photos view and tap the album selector. Not every photo in your library will appear — Apple's system filters for faces, composition, and variety.
Clock View
There are several clock face styles to choose from: Digital, Analog, Solar, Float, and more. Each style comes in different color themes. Long-press the clock and swipe or tap to browse options. The color of the clock automatically adapts to your iPhone's Night Mode settings if your display supports it.
Factors That Affect Your StandBy Experience
Not every iPhone owner gets the same StandBy experience, and a few key variables determine what's possible. 🔧
iOS version: StandBy requires iOS 17 or later. Some refinements and additional clock styles have been added in subsequent point releases (17.x updates), so what you see may depend on whether you've updated recently.
Always-On Display availability: iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max have always-on displays, meaning StandBy stays visible without you touching the phone. Older or non-Pro models wake the screen only when the room has sufficient light or when you interact with the device — which can change how useful StandBy feels as a permanent ambient display.
Charger type: StandBy works with any charging method, but MagSafe chargers and stands often hold the phone in a better landscape angle for the display. The experience is technically the same, but physical setup matters practically.
Third-party app support: The widget library in StandBy pulls from the same pool as your regular widgets. Apps that have added WidgetKit support show up here; those that haven't won't appear. This varies by app and version.
Night Mode behavior: On supported displays, StandBy automatically shifts to a red-tinted Night Mode in dark rooms. This can't be disabled per-room — it's tied to ambient light sensors. Some users find this ideal for bedside use; others find it limiting if they want full-color display in dim environments.
Per-App and Per-Clock Persistence
One detail worth knowing: StandBy remembers your last-used view. If you swipe to the Clock view, next time your phone enters StandBy it will show the clock. Each view's configuration is also saved independently, so customizing your widget stacks once means they stay that way across charging sessions.
Lock screen passcode behavior also applies — if you have Face ID or a passcode enabled, interacting with certain elements (like tapping a notification) on the StandBy screen may require authentication.
What Shapes the Right Setup for You
The "best" StandBy configuration depends on how and where you charge your phone, whether your model supports always-on display, which apps you use daily, and whether you want information-dense widgets or a cleaner ambient aesthetic.
A user who charges on a desk while working has different needs than someone using StandBy as a bedside clock. The level of iOS version you're running, the physical stand or charger you own, and the third-party apps you rely on all interact with each other — making the ideal configuration genuinely personal rather than universal.