iOS 17 iPhone StandBy: How to Use and Set Up Smart Display Feature

One of the main new features of iOS 17 is the smart landscape mode for displaying iPhone while charging. Here's how to use and customize your iPhone's iOS 17 idle display with different watch faces, widgets, photo access, and more.

iOS 17 includes includes a number of changes to Messages, FaceTime, the phone experience, and more.

But one of the most exciting features is likely to be the new iPhone Sleep mode, which turns the smartphone into a mini smart display, similar to Amazon Echo Show.

As shown above and below, I am using the Nomad Stand One MagSafe charger. Here's how standby mode works.

iOS 17 iPhone StandBy: how to use and set up

Make sure you are using iOS 17.
When iPhone screen is locked, place it in landscape orientation vertical charger(this mode will not work on flat chargers or chargers at a low angle, or when the screen is unlocked – and it needs to charge)
iPhone StandBy feature will appear automatically enabled by default
- Standby mode works on any iPhone running iOS 17, but you will need to tap the screen to see the clock, widgets, photos, etc. – iPhone 14/15 Pro/Pro Max with Always On mode will always show the Standby Screen
The classic analog clock and calendar widget on the right is the default standby view. Swipe up on any of them to edit them
- Tap and hold to either add or remove widgets.
In the first standby mode, swipe your thumb from right to left to change the view.
Press and hold other standby views to customize them.

iOS 17 iPhone StandBy supports real-time actions, Siri, incoming calls, and larger notifications.
StandBy remembers your “preferred view.” ” and dims to red and night light.
You can customize your sleep settings by going to Settings > StandBy
Check out our roundup of the latest third-party apps to include StandBy widget support.

Here's what iOS 17 iPhone StandBy looks like in use:

When you first place a locked iPhone horizontally on the vertical charger, you'll see a welcome screensaver.

You'll now see this window in default standby mode:

Swipe up on the watch face or calendar to Get more options (calendar is a smart stack by default):

To further customize this home screen, press and hold the left or right button. widget. Now you can remove the options or tap the + icon in the top left corner to add widgets:

From the first clock/widget view in Idle mode, you can swipe from right to left to go to photo view in Idle mode :

And swipe again to change the last view with different custom watch faces:

iPhone StandBy on Nomad Stand One MagSafe Charger

Best comment from Sheepie

Liked by 4 people

I am constantly looking for a replacement for my bedside hours, but they remain to this day. Things get closer but never reach their destination.

Hopefully, along with this rather pedestrian feature will come some mini Homepod features, like the ability to set a digital radio station as an alarm clock. This is the main reason I don't use my phone as a bedside clock yet. I don't like waking up every morning to the same static thing, like some kind of groundhog nightmare.

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Tap and hold on any of them to customize their color schemes, but you won't be able to add widgets to those watch faces.

But you can tap “…”. icon in the center at the top for access to music at any time, which is a pleasant multimedia interface:

To avoid disturbing sleep, the iPhone StandBy feature, for those with an always-on display, automatically dims to red at night:

Are you excited about the iPhone StandBy feature in iOS 17? Share your thoughts in the comments!