Always On Display, Explained

Always On Display is a low-power screen mode that shows a small amount of information (the clock, the date, notification icons, sometimes battery level) while your phone is locked.

It exists because OLED screens can light up individual pixels instead of the whole panel. So the phone lights up only the pixels it needs (the numbers of the clock, for example) and leaves the rest of the screen black. That's why it barely touches your battery on phones with OLED panels.

Two things follow from that: it only works well on OLED (or AMOLED) screens, and it only shows a little bit of content at a time. That second part is exactly what pushed a whole category of apps into existence.

How Does Always On Display Work?

On the hardware side, nothing changes. The phone still has one screen. What changes is how the software drives it:

• The lock screen switches to a stripped-down layout: just the clock, maybe icons.
• The display refreshes far less often, sometimes once a minute instead of dozens of times a second.
• Brightness drops way down, since a dark room doesn't need a bright clock.

That combination is what keeps power draw low enough to leave the screen "on" all day. On non-OLED (LCD) screens, the backlight can't turn off pixel by pixel, so true always on display isn't really possible there. That's part of why it's still a phone-by-phone feature instead of an Android standard.

Always On Display on Samsung

Samsung was one of the first Android brands to ship this at scale, and it's still the one most people mean when they say "always on display." You'll find it at Settings → Lock screen → Always On Display on most Galaxy phones.

Samsung's version lets you:

• Pick from a handful of built-in clock styles.
• Show notification icons and a small calendar.
• Set it to always-on, tap-to-show, or scheduled hours.

It's clean and it does the job. It's also limited to what Samsung built. If you want something different, like a bigger clock, a photo, widgets, or the same setup on a phone that isn't a Galaxy, the built-in version can't help.

Is Always On Display and StandBy Mode the Same?

No. Always on display is a locked-screen clock built into some phones. StandBy Mode is a separate app, and it does a lot more than show the time.
StandBy Mode is an Android app that borrows the battery-saving concepts behind always on display and builds a full smart display around them: 100+ clock faces, widgets from any app, a photo frame mode, and more.

It's not tied to a lock screen the way Samsung's AOD is, and it's not tied to one phone brand either. It works on Android 7 and up (Android 12+ unlocks every visual effect), on Samsung Galaxy, Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus and Xiaomi phones and tablets. It also has its own burn-in protection, shifting pixels every minute so nothing sits static on the screen for too long, the same concern that made manufacturers cautious about always-on screens in the first place.

A few of the AMOLED-friendly touches built in, if you want to go further than just picking a dark clock face:

• Advanced Burn-in Protection in Settings, shifts pixels in a subtle pattern so nothing sits static too long, with its own dimming intensity slider.
• Night Mode, a scheduled or sensor-driven dim tint that applies across the whole app, not just one screen. You can check it here.
• AMOLED Clock (Duo), a dedicated clock widget built specifically for a pure black background.
• Pure-black modes on other widgets too: World Clock, Weather and Pomodoro all offer a true black option instead of their usual background.

So: if your phone's built-in always on display already does what you need, keep using it. If you want more customization, or your phone doesn't have the feature at all, that's what StandBy Mode is for. It's the same idea covered in more depth in our guide to StandBy Mode on Android.

Does every Android phone have always on display?

No. It depends on the phone having an OLED (or AMOLED) screen and the manufacturer building the feature in. Plenty of phones with OLED screens still don't ship it.

Is always on display bad for battery?

Not by design. It only lights up a small number of pixels at low brightness, so on OLED screens it uses very little power. Apps that add always on display should follow the same principle.

Can I get always on display on a phone that doesn't support it?

Yes, through an app. StandBy Mode works on Android 7 and up and adds a full smart display, including clock faces, widgets and a photo frame, even on phones without a built-in version.

Try it on your Android

Want an always on display with more than one clock style? StandBy Mode is free to download on Google Play

Hey, it's Carol here. I manage StandBy Mode's socials and support, so if you have any questions about the app, drop a comment or send me an email (at support@zetabitapps.com). I'll sort it out with you.