By Lydia | Last Updated
If you're finding yourself frequently annoyed by your iPhone or iPad's screen turning off too quickly, you’re not alone. The Apple iPhone Auto Lock on iOS devices is designed to conserve battery life by automatically turning off the display after a period of inactivity.
While this can be useful, it can also be inconvenient if you need your screen to stay on longer. Good news: you can easily disable auto lock on iPhone and iPad. In this guide, I'll walk you through the steps to keep your screen active, fix common auto lock iPhone issues, and make your device work just the way you want. Let’s dive in!
Auto-Lock is a feature on iPhones and iPads that automatically dims and then turns off the device’s screen after a period of inactivity. This feature helps to save battery life and protect the screen from potential burn-in.
The default setting for Auto-Lock varies based on your device and iOS version, but it typically ranges from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
Turn off auto lock screen on iPhone is quite straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you customize these settings to your preference:
Step 1: Tap on the "Settings" app on your iPhone or iPad home screen.
Step 2: Access to Auto-Lock Option:
For iOS 6 and earlier device:
Open "General", and locate and tap on Auto-Lock to continue.
For iOS 7 and later device:
Scroll down and select "Display & Brightness". In the "Display & Brightness" menu, tap on "Auto-Lock". This will open the Auto-Lock settings.
Step 3: To prevent your screen from locking automatically, select "Never". This option will keep your screen on indefinitely until you manually lock it or turn off your device.
Step 4: Once you’ve selected your desired setting, you can simply exit the Settings app. Your changes will be saved automatically.
Notes: Be mindful that keeping your screen on for extended periods can drain your battery faster and potentially lead to screen burn-in.
If you keep the screen on just to avoid missing important information, you can achieve the same effect with always on display iPhone.
This feature is only available for iPhone 14 Pro and later. It can be handy for seeing notifications at a glance without fully waking your device, as it keeps the screen staying dimly lit even when it's locked. Here is how to turn it on:
Step 1: Start by tapping the "Settings" app on your home screen.
Step 2: Scroll down and select "Display & Brightness".
Step 3: Look for the "Always On Display" option. This setting controls whether your screen stays on in a dimmed state when your iPhone is locked.
Step 4: Toggle on the "Always On Display" switch to enable the feature. Then turn off the "Show Notifications" switch.
Step 1: Go to iPhone settings, then tap on "Display & Brightness".
Step 2: Tap "Auto-Lock" option. Here you can choose several options ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
If you find that the Auto-Lock options are grayed out or the "Never" option is missing from your Auto-Lock settings. This issue often occurs due to certain settings or profiles applied to your device. Here’s how to fix it:
You can’t change auto lock on iPhone with Low Power Mode. At this time, the device will turn to default 30 second auto-lock time to save battery. To change it, you need to disable the Lower Power Mode first.
Steps: Go to "Settings" > "Battery". Locate "Low Power Mode", and then turn it off. Once you've done that, you can return to the "Display & Brightness" screen to adjust the "Auto-Lock" time as desired.
If your device is managed by a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile (often used by businesses or schools), it might restrict this setting.
Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management. Check your device’s management profiles and contact your administrator if necessary.
Step 2: Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management to see if any profiles are installed. If so, you might need to contact your IT administrator to modify these settings.
Tips: You can use iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius to help you to simply remove MDM profile in on click to repair this Auto-Lock grey out issue.
Sometimes a simple restart can resolve issues with grayed-out settings. Power off your device, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
If Auto-Lock is not working as expected, here are some steps to fix it:
Since iPhone X or later, the Atten Aware feature is auto-on. With it, Face ID automatically detects whether you are looking at the screen and will not dim or lock the screen until you look away. To disable it, follow the steps:
Step1: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Attention.
Step2: Locate "Attention Aware Features", toggle it to off position.
Steps: Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, and tap Turn Passcode Off. Next, tap Turn Passcode On and set a new passcode.
As described earlier, even when your iPhone is locked, you can still see the home screen in low-light mode if you’ve enabled Always-On Display.
Steps: Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display. Toggle it off.
1. Reset All Settings: If your Auto-Lock settings are not functioning properly, you might need to reset all settings. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" > "Reset All Settings". Note that this will not erase your data, but it will reset system settings like Wi-Fi passwords and wallpaper.
2. Update iOS: Ensure your device is up to date with the latest iOS version. Updates can fix bugs and improve performance. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Software Update".
3. Check for App Interference: Some apps might prevent Auto-Lock from functioning correctly. Check if any apps are running that might keep your device active. Close apps running in the background and see if that resolves the issue.
If you’ve forgotten the iPhone passcode after a long-time auto-lock, here is a practical tool - iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius to help you to simply unlock the lock.
Step 1: Download and install the iPhone Password Genius from the official website. Then Launch it from desktop, click on "Unlock Lock Screen" option.
Step 2: Connect your iPhone to the laptop with the USB cable, then click "Start".
Step 3: After it has recognized your phone, download the firmware package and store it to a specific path where you can find.
Step 4: Finally, with a single click on the "Unlock" button, and wait the reset process to complete, both of the iPhone data and iPhone passcode are erased.
