Make the most of StandBy

Stand by for a new way to use your iPhone...

- ALEX BLAKE

FOR MANY PEOPLE, the iPhone has replaced the alarm clock on their bedside cabinets.

But you don't have to settle for a phone that only springs into action when it's time to wake you up — with StandBy mode, your iPhone can display all sorts of useful information, from a simple clock, to widget updates, to roundups of your favorite photos.

StandBy mode isn't restricted to bedtime, either. You can use it when your phone is charging in any room of the house — for example, it can be a desktop photo frame when you're working in your office. Just connect it to power and turn it on its side to get started.

StandBy has a few different forms. It can tell the time with a variety of clock faces, or it can cycle through various photo albums to remind you of fond memories. There's also a widget view that's packed with useful info. Just note that you need to be running iOS 17 or later on your iPhone in order to use StandBy mode.

HOW TO Use Stand By mode on your iPhone

1 Find it in Settings

To enable StandBy on your iPhone, open the Settings app and go to StandBy, then ensure the toggle is switched on next to the StandBy entry at the top of the page. It should be enabled by default, but you can check it here.

2 Start charging