How to Master iPhone 17’s Always-On Display Without Draining Your Battery

The Always-On Display, once a feature exclusive to the Pro models, has finally arrived on the standard iPhone 17. This feature allows your Lock Screen to stay visible in a dimmed, low-power state, showing you the time, widgets, and notifications at a glance without needing to wake your phone.

While incredibly useful, many users worry about its impact on battery life. The good news is that Apple has engineered the Always-On Display to be extremely efficient, and with the right settings, you can enjoy its convenience with minimal battery drain. This guide will show you how to customize and use the Always-On Display intelligently to get the most out of it.

How Apple Makes the Always-On Display So Efficient

The magic behind the iPhone 17's Always-On Display isn't just software; it's advanced hardware. The ProMotion display can drop its refresh rate to an incredibly low 1Hz (one refresh per second). For comparison, when you're scrolling, the screen is refreshing 120 times per second. By dramatically slowing down, the display consumes a tiny fraction of its normal power. Additionally, a dedicated co-processor in the A19 Bionic chip manages this low-power state, ensuring the main CPU cores remain dormant to conserve energy.

The display also intelligently turns off completely in certain situations, such as:

• When your iPhone is face down on a table.
• When it's in your pocket or a bag.
• When a Sleep Focus is active.
• When you are wearing an Apple Watch and walk away from your iPhone.
• During CarPlay sessions.

Customizing Your Always-On Display for Maximum Efficiency

iOS 26 gives you granular control over what appears on your Always-On Display. By being selective, you can reduce power consumption even further. To access these settings, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display.

1. Toggle the Main Switch: The first option is a simple toggle to turn the Always-On Display on or off entirely. If you're on a long trip and need to conserve every bit of power, this is your quickest option.

2. Show Wallpaper: This is the biggest factor in battery consumption. When enabled, a dimmed version of your Lock Screen wallpaper is visible. While aesthetically pleasing, rendering this image uses more power than a simple black background. For maximum battery savings, turn 'Show Wallpaper' off. Your screen will go completely black, showing only the clock and your chosen widgets in white or gray text.

3. Show Notifications: You can choose whether notifications appear on your Always-On Display. If you receive a constant stream of alerts, having the screen light up a section for each one can add up. Disabling this means you'll only see notification badges, not the full previews, until you wake the screen. Consider using Notification Summaries to reduce frequent screen updates.

Using Widgets and Focus Modes Intelligently

The widgets you choose for your Lock Screen can also impact battery life, especially those that require frequent data updates.

• Choose Static Widgets: Widgets like the clock, date, or a single-time-zone clock are extremely low-power.
• Be Mindful of Dynamic Widgets: Widgets that constantly update in the background, such as a live weather widget showing temperature changes or a stock ticker, will consume slightly more power. If you're trying to save battery, consider removing widgets that require frequent network access.
• Leverage Focus Modes: This is a power user tip. You can create different Lock Screens for different Focus Modes (e.g., Work, Personal, Sleep). Set up a "Battery Saver" Focus Mode with a completely black wallpaper and only the most essential, static widgets. When you need to conserve power, simply activate this Focus Mode, and your Always-On Display will automatically become more efficient.

Real-World Battery Impact: What to Expect

In our testing, the impact of the Always-On Display is noticeable but not dramatic. Here’s a rough breakdown of what you can expect over a full day of use:

• Full Experience (Wallpaper On, Notifications On): Expect a reduction in your total battery life of around 8-15% compared to having the feature turned off.
• Optimized (Wallpaper Off, Static Widgets): With these settings, the battery impact is significantly reduced, typically in the range of 3-6% over a full day.

For most users, the convenience of glancing at the time and important information is well worth the minor battery trade-off. By turning off the wallpaper, you get the best of both worlds: the core functionality of the Always-On Display with a negligible impact on your iPhone 17's otherwise excellent battery life.

Conclusion: Convenience Without Compromise

The Always-On Display on the iPhone 17 is a fantastic quality-of-life feature. By understanding how it works and taking a few moments to customize its settings, you can tailor it to your needs. The key takeaway is simple: if you're concerned about battery life, go to the settings and disable "Show Wallpaper." This single change will give you the practical benefits of the feature while preserving as much power as possible for the rest of your day.