So, I upgraded my iPhone to iOS 17 the other day, pretty stoked about the new Standby Mode feature. I’d seen some cool demos online, and it looked like a neat way to turn your phone into a mini-smart display while it’s charging. But, man, was I in for a surprise when I actually tried to use it. It just didn’t work.
First off, I made sure my phone was charging. I plugged it in, just like the instructions said. Nothing. The screen just went to sleep like it normally does. Okay, I thought, maybe I missed something.
Next, I checked the orientation. I made sure my iPhone was placed horizontally on the charger. Still nothing. The Standby Mode just wouldn’t kick in. I tried different angles, thinking maybe it was picky about the position, but no luck. It was like my phone had no idea what I wanted it to do.
- Checked charging: Yep, plugged in.
- Orientation: Horizontal, just like it should be.
- Settings: Time to dig deeper.
I went into the Settings app, found the StandBy section, and made sure the toggle was switched on. It was. I even tried turning it off and on again, you know, the classic tech support trick. Still nothing. I was starting to get a little frustrated at this point.
I did some more digging and found out that only iPhone 14 Pro and newer models have an Always On Display feature that might make Standby Mode appear automatically. I have an iPhone 15, so that wasn’t the issue either. I followed all the steps I could find: plugged in, horizontal, settings checked. But my phone just refused to go into Standby Mode.
I even tried restarting my phone, thinking maybe a fresh reboot would do the trick. Nope. I started to wonder if maybe my iPhone model was not supported or something.
Double-checking everything
I went back to the basics. Is my iPhone supported? Yes, it is. Is Standby Mode turned on in settings? Yes, it is. Charger connected? Yes. Phone in landscape mode? Yes.
I was following all the steps, but it just wasn’t working. Finally, after all these failed attempts, it turned out to be something super simple. The magnetics were not aligning with my case on. Removed the case and boom, worked instantly! I should have started there.
