How to Keep iPhone Screen On: Complete Guide for iOS Users

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Does your iPhone screen keep turning off too quickly while you’re reading, watching a recipe, or using your device for work? You’re not alone. By default, iPhones automatically lock the screen to save battery, but many users prefer to keep the screen on longer—or even indefinitely—depending on the task.

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn exactly how to keep your iPhone screen on, how to adjust Auto-Lock settings, how to keep the screen awake while charging, and what to do if your iPhone won’t let you change the Auto-Lock setting. This guide works for iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, SE, and all iOS versions including iOS 16, iOS 17, and iOS 18.

What Does Auto-Lock Mean on iPhone?

Auto-Lock is the iPhone feature that automatically turns off your screen after a certain period of inactivity. This helps:

  • Save battery

  • Protect your privacy

  • Prevent accidental taps

You can adjust this timing to your preference—or even set it to Never if you want the screen to stay on indefinitely.

How to Keep iPhone Screen On (Fastest Method)

The easiest way to keep your screen from turning off is by changing the Auto-Lock setting.

Steps:

  1. Open Settings

  2. Tap Display & Brightness

  3. Tap Auto-Lock

  4. Choose a longer duration, such as:

    • 2 minutes

    • 3 minutes

    • 5 minutes

    • Never (keeps screen on all the time)

Selecting Never means your iPhone screen will stay on until you manually lock it.

How to Keep iPhone Screen On While Using Specific Apps

Some apps automatically prevent the screen from turning off—for example:

  • GPS/navigation apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps)

  • Workout apps

  • Timer apps

If your screen is turning off anyway, you can set Auto-Lock to Never, or use Guided Access (explained below).

How to Keep iPhone Screen On Using Guided Access (Best for Kids & Work)

If you want your screen to stay on and prevent others from navigating away from an app, Guided Access is the perfect option.

Steps to enable Guided Access:

  1. Open Settings

  2. Go to Accessibility

  3. Scroll down and select Guided Access

  4. Turn it On

  5. Set a Passcode

Start Guided Access in an app:

  1. Open the app you want to stay on

  2. Triple-press the Side/Power button

  3. Tap Start

While Guided Access is active, your screen will stay awake indefinitely, unless you choose otherwise.

How to Keep Screen On While Charging Your iPhone

If your iPhone is connected to a charger and you want the display to stay active—for example while using a recipe app or monitoring live data—set Auto-Lock to:

  • Never

Your iPhone will then stay awake as long as it remains plugged in.

Why Is “Auto-Lock” Grayed Out on My iPhone?

Sometimes you can’t change the Auto-Lock setting. This usually happens for these reasons:

1. Low Power Mode is ON

When Low Power Mode is enabled, Auto-Lock is forced to 30 seconds.

Fix:

  • Go to Settings → Battery

  • Toggle Low Power Mode OFF

Now you can set Auto-Lock back to your preferred time.

2. Device Management or MDM Restrictions

If your iPhone is managed by a school, workplace, or organization, they may lock the Auto-Lock setting.

In this case, you’ll see the message:

“This setting is managed by your administrator.”

You cannot change it unless the admin removes restrictions.

3. Content & Privacy Restrictions

Sometimes parental controls block changes.

Fix:

  1. Go to Settings → Screen Time

  2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions

  3. Change permission settings or turn restrictions off

Tips to Keep iPhone Screen On Without Draining Battery

Keeping your screen on uses more energy, but you can reduce battery drain by adjusting:

1. Low Brightness

Swipe down → Reduce the brightness slider.

2. Auto-Brightness

Enable Auto-Brightness in:

Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Auto-Brightness

3. Keep Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Off When Not Needed

4. Use Dark Mode

Dark Mode reduces power usage on OLED iPhones.

Go to:

Settings → Display & Brightness → Dark

Best Use Cases for Keeping iPhone Screen On

Keeping the iPhone screen awake is helpful in many situations:

  • Cooking while following a recipe

  • Using your phone as a monitor

  • Reading long articles

  • Watching stock charts or live data

  • Using your phone as a teleprompter

  • Giving a presentation

  • Monitoring a baby camera feed

  • Navigating with maps

How to Keep Screen On Temporarily (Short Sessions)

If you only need your screen to stay awake for a short time, simply keep tapping occasionally or enable:

  • Auto-Lock → 5 minutes

This gives you longer visibility without permanently setting it to Never.

How to Make iPhone Screen Never Turn Off (Permanent Setting)

  1. Settings

  2. Display & Brightness

  3. Auto-Lock

  4. Select Never

This ensures your device screen stays on until YOU press the Lock button.

FAQs About Keeping iPhone Screen On

1. Does keeping the screen on damage my iPhone?

No. iPhones use LED/OLED screens that do not get damaged easily, though OLED can get slight image retention if the same screen stays for many hours.

2. Does this consume more battery?

Yes, but lowering brightness helps.

3. Does iPhone have a “Stay Awake” mode?

Not by name, but Auto-Lock → Never functions exactly like it.

4. Will alarms work if screen is always on?

Yes. Alarms and notifications work normally.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your iPhone screen on is incredibly easy with the right settings. Whether you need the screen awake for reading, cooking, working, or monitoring apps, the Auto-Lock setting and Guided Access features give you complete control over screen timeout.

With options like Never, longer durations, and specialized tools like Guided Access, you can customize your iPhone exactly the way you want.

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