Display and appearance
Auto-Lock
Most people call this how long before the screen turns off.
Auto-Lock decides how many seconds of no touching pass before the screen turns off and the phone locks.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 10 and later
- Settings
- Display & Brightness
- Auto-Lock
What it does
The choices run from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, plus Never on most models. A shorter time saves battery and locks the phone sooner. Never keeps the screen on until you lock it yourself.
What changes
When it is on
Not applicable. This is a duration.
When it is off
Not applicable.
Should you turn it on?
Battery
Depends how you use it
Privacy
Depends how you use it
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: 30 seconds on a new iPhone.
Questions people actually ask
- Why does my iPhone screen turn off so quickly?
- Auto-Lock is set low, or Low Power Mode has forced it to 30 seconds.
- How do I keep my screen on permanently?
- Set Auto-Lock to Never, though the screen then stays lit until you lock it and the battery cost is real.
If it is not working
- Low Power Mode forces 30 seconds and greys out the choice until you turn it off.
- Never is unavailable while a device management profile requires a lock timeout.
- Guided Access keeps the screen on inside one app without changing this setting.