Your phone screen goes dark just as you reach the next line or check a recipe. On iPhone, you can disable automatic locking; on Android, start with a longer screen timeout. Here are the settings for keeping your display awake while reading, charging, or using a particular app.
Set your iPhone to stay on
Open Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock.
Select Never to stop the display from locking automatically.
Want more reading time without leaving it on indefinitely? Choose a longer timed interval instead.
If Never is unavailable or the screen still locks after 30 seconds, turn off Low Power Mode using the instructions below, then return to Auto-Lock. If a device-management restriction remains, ask your administrator to allow a longer interval.
Give Android a longer screen timeout
On a Pixel, open Settings > Display & touch > Screen timeout.
On a Samsung Galaxy, open Settings > Display > Screen timeout, or search Settings for Screen timeout.
Choose a longer interval. Samsung's standard choices range from 15 seconds to 10 minutes; Pixel's choices are also finite.
On Huawei and HONOR phones with this menu, open Settings > Display & brightness > Sleep.
On a REDMI 13C 5G, open Settings > Lock screen > Sleep.
Select a longer duration.
Tip: Android has no universal built-in Never option, so use the charging or keep-awake methods below when a longer timeout isn't enough.
Keep the display awake while you look at it
Attention detection keeps the screen awake while you're looking at it.
On a supported Face ID iPhone, turn on Attention Aware Features under Settings > Face ID & Passcode. It works without setting up Face ID and excludes iPhone SE.
On a Pixel 4 or later offering the feature, turn on Screen attention under Settings > Display & touch > Screen timeout.
Keep your face visible in suitable lighting when using Pixel's Screen attention.
On a supported Galaxy, search Settings for Keep screen on while viewing.
Open the Keep screen on while viewing result.
Turn on Keep screen on while viewing.
On a Huawei phone, search Settings for Keep screen on while looking. If no result appears, your device doesn't support the feature.
Open the Keep screen on while looking result.
Turn on Keep screen on while looking.
On an HONOR phone offering Smart Sensing, turn on Keep screen on while looking under Settings > HONOR AI > Smart Sensing.
Stop your timeout from dropping to 30 seconds
A power-saving setting overrides your chosen timeout when its display restrictions are active. On iPhone, Low Power Mode sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and disables Always On Display.
For iPhone 15 and later, switch off Low Power Mode under Settings > Battery > Power Mode.
On earlier supported iPhones, switch off Low Power Mode under Settings > Battery.
Choose your preferred interval under Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock again.
On Pixel, Extreme Battery Saver reduces screen timeout to 30 seconds, while standard Battery Saver disables Always-on Display. To turn off Battery Saver, swipe down from the top of your screen and tap Battery Saver.
Choose your timeout again under Settings > Display & touch > Screen timeout.
On Galaxy devices with One UI 8.5's power-saving controls, turn off Power saving under Settings > Battery to remove its display restrictions.
If these restrictions return automatically, disable the relevant trigger: on Adaptive Power-capable iPhones, turn off Adaptive Power under Settings > Battery > Power Mode; on Pixels offering battery-level scheduling, turn off Turn on based on battery level under Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Schedule and reminders.
Keep an Android screen on while charging
On a Pixel, open Settings > About phone to find Build number.
On a Galaxy, open Settings > About phone > Software information to find Build number.
Tap Build number seven times to enable Developer options.
Open Developer options.
Turn on Stay awake.
Connect your phone to power. This setting keeps the screen awake while charging; it doesn't provide an unlimited timeout on battery power.
Tip: You don't need to enable USB debugging for this setting.
Use app settings for navigation, PDFs, and recipes
For navigation in the Waze phone app, turn on Prevent auto-lock under Waze menu > Settings > General. This applies to Waze for Android and iPhone, excluding Android Auto, Android Automotive OS, and CarPlay.
In Acrobat Reader for Android, open profile icon > Preferences > Screen setting. Turn on Screen brightness lock.
In Acrobat Reader for iPhone, open a PDF. Turn on Keep screen on under More options > View settings. The setting applies to that document and resets when you open a new one.
In Paprika Recipe Manager 3 for iPhone, turn on Keep Screen On under Settings > Appearance; on Android, use Paprika menu > Settings > Appearance. Open a recipe to keep it on screen. Normal sleep behavior returns when you close the recipe.
Start an indefinite session on Android
For an Android display that stays awake without external power, abdalmoniem's Caffeinate app offers an indefinite session. It's a third-party app, and phone restrictions still apply.
Install Caffeinate from that developer's project page.
Complete its requested permission setup.
In version 2.2.0, long-press OFF while the session is stopped to start an indefinite session.
Long-press the running control to stop it.
To prevent dimming too, turn off Allow Dimming in Caffeinate's settings before starting your session.
If your phone overrides the session, try Stay awake while connected to power, or use the app-specific control above for navigation, PDFs, or recipes.
Show the clock or lock screen instead
Choose an always-on display when you only need selected lock-screen information at a glance. It doesn't keep your current app awake.
On an Always On Display-capable iPhone, turn on Always On Display under Settings > Display & Brightness. It still switches off in certain conditions, including when the phone is face down or obstructed, or when Sleep Focus or Low Power Mode is active.
On a Pixel offering the feature, turn on Always-on Display under Settings > Display & touch.
On an eligible Galaxy with the One UI 6.1-or-later interface, turn on Always On Display under Settings > Lock screen and AOD.
Set When to show to Always.
For a charging bedside display on iPhone, turn on StandBy under Settings > StandBy.
Connect your iPhone to power.
Place it stationary on its side.
Press the side button to enter StandBy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Pixel screen turn off before the timeout I selected?
On Pixels offering Adaptive timeout, turn it off under Settings > Display & touch > Screen Timeout > Adaptive timeout. Your selected screen timeout still applies.
Can Siri set my iPhone's Auto-Lock to Never?
Siri's supported shortcut here is “Hey Siri, turn off Low Power Mode.” That removes the power mode's 30-second restriction; it doesn't change Auto-Lock to Never. Select Never yourself under Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock.
Why won't Stay awake work on my managed Android phone?
Device-management policies restrict charging-dependent stay-awake behavior and enforce locking. Ask your administrator to review stayOnPluggedModes and maximumTimeToLock if your organization uses Android Management API.
Will music playing in the background keep my Android screen on?
No. Audio playback alone doesn't keep the display illuminated. An app must specifically request keep-screen-on behavior, and its requesting screen must remain visible for that behavior to apply.