Always On Display on iPhone have been waiting since the first versions with OLED screens appeared. But Apple was in no hurry to implement this feature in their smartphones. This was explained by the fact that at that time it was not one that the Cupertino company could install in its products. That is, there was a high battery consumption, and leaving only the clock on the lock screen was not in the spirit of Apple. And now the long-awaited Always On Display has appeared in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
It turns out that by 2022, the constantly active screen has reached such a level of development that it deserves to be in Apple devices? We figure out how much charge this feature spends on new iPhones and whether it is worth leaving it on.
How much battery does Always On Display use?
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature Always On Display is implemented due to the fact that the OLED screen installed in it can reduce the refresh rate to 1 Hz. At the same time, standard screens that are installed even in the most cheap android smartphones support a minimum refresh rate of 60Hz. That is, the screen in the new iPhones can operate at a frequency 60 times lower than most Android smartphones.
This is what made Apple add Always On Display to new firmware. While the smartphone is locked, the operating system reduces the refresh rate to 1 Hz and consumes almost no battery power. But is it really so? PhoneArena has tested this feature on the iPhone 14 Pro. The test conditions were as follows:
- The measurement was carried out in an 8-hour interval (from 09:00 to 17:00).
- The SIM card was missing.
- The smartphone was not used during the test.
- Several basic applications were set up on the phone and one social network was running in the background.
To make the test as revealing as possible, it was carried out in two days: on the first day, the smartphone launched Always On Display. On the second day it was turned off. The test was launched when the smartphone’s battery reached 100%. The results came out like this:
- iPhone 14 Pro with Always On Display active is down to 94%.
- iPhone 14 Pro with Always On Display turned off retained 100% charge.
The main thing is to remember that it is definitely impossible to focus on this result. For example, you probably noticed that the iPhone holds a hundred percent charge the longest. Plus, just a smartphone lying on the table and not receiving notifications is a very rare thing.
But in fact, Always On Display does not always work. In some situations, the operating system automatically disables it:
- If the iPhone is face down.
- If the iPhone is in your pocket or bag.
- Sleep focus is activated.
- Power saving mode is on.
- iPhone is connected to CarPlay.
- If the iPhone detects that you are away from it with your Apple Watch connected.
In the latter case Always On Display automatically activated at the moment when the iPhone realizes that the watch is again next to it.
How to disable Always On Display on iPhone
Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t provided users with any settings for this mode at all. It can only be turned on or off. It’s actually an Apple-style limitation. Cupertino decided that they know better in what form we need Always On Display. Therefore, if you prefer bright wallpapers, then leave only the clock on the lockscreen and notifications will not work. But there will always be enthusiasts who will find a way to customize anything on their smartphone. So a way was found to almost completely darken the wallpaper and leave only the clock on the lock screen.
We talked about it in a separate article. These, of course, are crutches, but if you really want to, then in this way you can get out. The most interesting thing is that since testing was carried out on iPhone 14 Pro, and he lost only 6%, then the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which has a more capacious battery, will spend even less charge in this test. PhoneArena suggests that it will use up 4% vs 6% in the same mode.
In general, we can say that for such a function, this is an excellent indicator. Most Android smartphones cannot boast of such autonomy when using Always On Display. Apparently, Cupertino knew what they were doing when they delayed the implementation of Always On Display year after year. Screen technology has advanced to the point where it is painless to use this feature. But if you still want to disable it, then you can do it as follows:
- Open settings.
- Go to the “Screen and Brightness” section.
- Turn off the Always On switch.
After these steps, Always On Display will not distract you from any daily activities with its glow. I really hope that Apple will hear its users and in future updates it will give the opportunity to customize this feature for themselves. Then the buyers who leave Always On Display active, there will be much more.
