How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (2024)

Need help getting StandBy to work on your iPhone? This troubleshooting guide lists various solutions to fix all StandBy issues in iOS 17.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (1)

StandBy is a new iOS 17 feature that turns your iPhone into an office or bedside smart display, showing you the clock, digital time, photos, weather, music playback controls, widgets, and such. You can learn all about setting StandBy in our full guide.

However, even after setting it up, if it fails to work on your device, one or a combination of a few tips below should fix this problem for good and make StandBy work again on your iPhone.

Proven tips to fix StandBy in iOS 17: hide

1. Make sure you have a compatible iPhone

2. StandBy isn’t available on iPad

3. Install iOS 17 on your iPhone

4. Lock your iPhone

5. Put it in landscape mode

6. Flip your iPhone to the other side

7. Try another phone stand or charger

8. Unlock your phone, lock it, and put it in landscape orientation again

9. Force quit all apps and retry

10. Restart your iPhone

11. Update it to the latest version of iOS 17, or wait for an update

12. Sometimes you will have to just wait for a while!

13. Add a device passcode

14. Enable Always On Display on iPhone 14 Pro

15. Ensure your iPhone is not excessively hot

16. Wake your iPhone to see StandBy

17. Turn on Motion To Wake

18. Turn off StandBy and turn it back on

19. Disable Low Power Mode, enable screen rotation, and switch on location

20. Reset all iPhone settings

21. Erase and restore your iPhone

Fix specific aspects of SandBy if they do not work

1. Make sure you have a compatible iPhone

StandBy works on:

  • iPhone 14 series
  • iPhone 13 series
  • iPhone 12 series
  • iPhone 11 series
  • iPhone XS and XS Max
  • iPhone XR

Note: Though iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) are compatible with iOS 17, I couldn’t find conclusive proof of these devices supporting StandBy. If you have an iPhone SE, the best way to confirm this is by going to the Settings app, and if you see StandBy, that means your phone supports it. Please share your findings with us in comments.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (2)

Related: How to know which iPhone you have

2. StandBy isn’t available on iPad

While it would be amazing to have StandBy on the big iPad display, currently, iPadOS 17 does not support StandBy. Hopefully, iPadOS 18 may add this feature.

3. Install iOS 17 on your iPhone

StandBy is a new feature, and your iPhone must be on iOS 17 to have this.

4. Lock your iPhone

StandBy only works when you manually lock your iPhone by pressing the right-side lock button or if the device locks automatically after the passing of auto-lock duration.

5. Put it in landscape mode

StandBy does not activate in portrait mode, and putting your iPhone in landscape mode is compulsory for it to work.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (3)

6. Flip your iPhone to the other side

Sometimes, StandBy may not work on one side, but it may if you turn your phone and place it on the other side.

Please be clear that this isn’t the standard behavior, as StandBy should work on either horizontal side. But because of bugs or glitches, it may not activate on one side, so, try flipping it to the other.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (4)

7. Try another phone stand or charger

For StandBy to work, you must place it on its side on a phone stand, proper wireless charger, or a MagSafe charger. If you don’t have these, you can try placing your iPhone on its side by keeping an object behind it, but it may not work reliably at all times.

Secondly, StandBy won’t work if the phone is kept on a table or a flat stand/charger that is too slanted. For it to work, your phone must be in a decently upright position.

Currently, I have a total of five phone, iPad, and MacBook stands. StandBy works on four of them. It doesn’t work on my MacBook stand as that’s too flat.

8. Unlock your phone, lock it, and put it in landscape orientation again

Still no luck? Go to your iPhone Home Screen, wait for about five seconds, lock it, and place it on a stand in landscape mode. This time it may work. If not, do this a couple more times.

9. Force quit all apps and retry

On some occasions, StandBy may not show up on the Lock Screen because of problematic apps open in the background. To address this, go inside your phone and force quit all open apps. After that, lock your iPhone and place it horizontally on a stand or MagSafe charger.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (5)

10. Restart your iPhone

This is an important solution that you must pay attention to. Often, when one thing or another does not work as expected, simply turning off your iPhone and turning it back on can fix the ongoing issue.

If your phone is stuck and you can’t interact with it, go ahead and force restart itto come out of this problem.

11. Update it to the latest version of iOS 17, or wait for an update

If your iPhone is on an initial build of iOS 17 developer beta or public beta, go to Settings > General > Software Update and get the latest version.

If you’re already on the newest build, please try the remaining solutions below or wait for another iOS update.

Related: How to submit feedback and bug reports to Apple

12. Sometimes you will have to just wait for a while!

I have also noticed that in some instances, StandBy won’t kick in after locking the iPhone and placing it horizontally. But after a minute, it will automatically come into action. Again, this is not the standard behavior and can be attributed to iOS bugs, which I hope will be fixed in the near future.

13. Add a device passcode

Are you living in the Wild West with no passcode on your iPhone? Go to the Settings app > Face ID & Passcode and set one. Once that’s done, you should be able to use StandBy.

Related: How to secure your iPhone (17 tips)

14. Enable Always On Display on iPhone 14 Pro

StandBy gets even better on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max as these two models have the Always On Display, because of which StandBy doesn’t time out after about 20 seconds and stays visible for a longer duration.

If you’re facing issues with StandBy on your iPhone 14 Pro, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display and make sure it’s enabled.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (6)

Must read: 5 ways Apple can make the iPhone 14 Pro Always-On display better with software

15. Ensure your iPhone is not excessively hot

StandBy screen may not show up if your iPhone is too hot:

  • Because you’re in a hot environment, or
  • Your phone has been placed on a wireless charger for a long time, or
  • Your iPhone is plugged into wired charging with a high-wattage fast charging adapter (like 40W, 60W, 80W, or above), or
  • You’ve not restarted it recently.

Touch the back of your iPhone, and if it appears dangerously hot, remove the case if you’re using one, switch it off for 5-10 minutes, and let it cool down.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (7)

16. Wake your iPhone to see StandBy

It’s normal StandBy behavior to time out and disappear from the screen after a short while. This is especially true for iPhone models without Always On Display. So if you don’t see the StandBy screen, simply tap the display to wake it, and you should see it again.

17. Turn on Motion To Wake

StandBy on iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max will intelligently go away from the screen if it thinks you are not looking at it (for example, when you’re sleeping at night). However, if motion is detected, StandBy will automatically start showing (like when you wake up in the middle of the night to drink water or check the time).

To ensure this automatic wake-up, go to iPhone 14 Pro Settings > StandBy > Night Mode and enable Motion To Wake.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (8)

18. Turn off StandBy and turn it back on

  1. Go to Settings > StandBy and turn off the switch for StandBy.
  2. Restart your iPhone.
  3. Go back to the Settings app > StandBy and turn on StandBy.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (9)

After this little refresh, you should see the StandBy screen when you keep your locked iPhone horizontally on a stand/charger while it’s charging.

19. Disable Low Power Mode, enable screen rotation, and switch on location

I have checked that StandBy works even when your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, its screen rotation is locked, and location services are off. Still, if the above solutions have failed to work for you, consider:

  • Disabling Low Power Mode.
  • Turning off the screen rotation lock from the Control Center.
  • And enabling Location Services from Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (10)

20. Reset all iPhone settings

Another proven solution to fix random iPhone glitches and address the non-working of some features is to reset all the settings. Once you do that, StandBy should start working fine.

21. Erase and restore your iPhone

And finally, if nothing works, you can back up your iPhone, erase it, and restore the backup or set it up as a new device. Hopefully, this should take care of the annoying StandBy issues.

Fix specific aspects of SandBy if they do not work

No Live Activities

App Live Activities are supported on the StandBy screen. All you need to do is tap the app icon or name from the top of the StandBy screen. But if you don’t see it, learn how to fix Live Activities not working on your iPhone.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (11)

Siri not working

If your iPhone can’t pick up “Hey Siri” or just “Siri” when it’s in StandBy, make sure:

  • You’re speaking clearly and are not too far from your phone.
  • Your other Apple devices, like HomePod, are not nearby, and they are not responding to your “Hey Siri” command.
  • Try to cut down loud noise in your room so your iPhone’s microphone can pick up the “Hey Siri” hot word.
  • If nothing helps, press and hold the iPhone Side button to manually activate Siri during StandBy.

Related: How to use Hey Siri with multiple nearby devices

Incorrect time

Seeing incorrect time on the iPhone StandBy screen?

  • Go to iPhone Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on the switch for Set Automatically.
  • Make sure you are not using the World Clock widget, as it may not show your local time.
  • Also, check that the added Clock widget is for your location and not for another city. If it’s for another city, you will see its abbreviation on the clock face. Like for Cupertino, the abbreviation will be CUP; for Paris, it will be PAR; and so on.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (12)

Photos not showing up

You will have to tap the Photos widget screen and unlock your device with Face ID or passcode before the StandBy screen displays your pictures. This is for your privacy, and you can’t remove this requirement.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (13)

Stocks not updating

Tap the Stocks widget on the StandBy screen and hit the arrow icon, which will take you inside the iOS Stocks app. Here, it should refresh with updated information, and now, when you return to the StandBy screen, you will see the latest Stocks numbers on StandBy.

Weather Unavailable

If you can’t see the weather details of your area or an added city in the Weather widget on the StandBy screen, tap that widget followed by the arrow icon to go inside the iOS Weather app. Once it has fetched the right weather conditions, the new information should reflect on the StandBy screen.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (14)

Related: How to show weather conditions and forecast on your iPhone Lock Screen

StandBy keeps asking for the device passcode

In some cases, the StandBy screen may need you to authenticate with your iPhone passcode or Face ID, even for basic things like using the play/pause button on the Music widget. I suppose this is a normal safety guideline, and you will have to honor that requirement.

Unable to add more widgets?

The widgets screen of StandBy has two columns, and in each, you can add up to 10 app widgets. If you reach that number, remove an added widget, and then you can add another.

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (15)

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17 (2024)

FAQs

How to fix StandBy not working on iPhone in iOS 17? ›

Turning on StandBy mode

By default, StandBy mode is turned on in iOS 17. If it's not, or should you want to turn off the feature, open up Settings > scroll down to StandBy > and switch the activation toggle.

How do I turn on StandBy on iOS 17? ›

Turning on StandBy mode

By default, StandBy mode is turned on in iOS 17. If it's not, or should you want to turn off the feature, open up Settings > scroll down to StandBy > and switch the activation toggle.

Why is my StandBy mode red iOS 17? ›

Now that you know the Standby screen shows normally in the bright places and will turn red in the night mode, there is a way that would get rid of Standby mode red iOS 17. And that is to turn off the night mode from Standby settings. Open Settings > StandBy. On the next page, under Display, you can see Night Mode.

Which iPhone won t support iOS 17? ›

iPhones that won't get iOS 17:

Along with the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus are ineligible for the iOS 17 update, along with the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7 series, which also missed out on the iOS 16 update in 2022.

Which iPhones are StandBy on iOS 17? ›

Does my iPhone support StandBy? All iPhones running iOS 17 support StandBy. So, if your iPhone supports iOS 17, it will support StandBy but it won't be always on like on iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. For reference, iPhone XR and newer models support the latest iOS update.

Why wont my iPhone go into StandBy mode? ›

Try resetting all the settings on your iPhone to fix the “iOS 17 StandBy not working”: Go to Settings >> General >> Transfer & Reset. Tap on Reset, and select Reset All Settings. Follow the on-screen instructions to reset all settings, enable the StandBy mode and test if it works now.

Which iPhones are no longer supported in 2023? ›

2023 List of Obsolete iPhones
  • iPhone 8 (Plus)
  • iPhone SE (1st generation)
  • iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
  • iPhone 6(S) and 6(S) Plus.
  • iPhone 5, 5S, and 5C.
  • iPhone 4 and 4S.
  • Older models.

Will iPhone 7 receive iOS 17? ›

However, only select iPhone models will get the new iOS 17 update. People who are still using the older iPhones will not get to experience the iOS 17. For example, if you own an iPhone X or the iPhone 7 from 2017 or an older model, you might miss out on these updates.

Is it safe to upgrade to iOS 17? ›

iOS 17.0.

This update provides important bug fixes and security updates and is recommended for all users.

What iPhones have StandBy mode? ›

With the Always On display (on iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max), StandBy stays on to show useful information. For all other iPhone models, it's easy to bring up StandBy anytime by tapping the screen, gently nudging the table your iPhone is on, or using Siri.

What is StandBy on iPhone battery? ›

Apple in iOS 17 is introducing StandBy mode, which is a new display experience designed for a charging iPhone that's placed in a horizontal orientation. An ‌iPhone‌ in this position is able to display an array of full-screen widgets, turning it into a useful home hub.

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