Set Up Your Phone’s Always-On Display So You’re Unlocking It Less Often

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How many times do you think you check your phone a day?

The number is probably much higher than you'd guess. Phones are always within easy reach, offering instant access to the world, social media, and messages from friends and family. Even if you're not being pinged with notifications, the temptation to scroll through an app or two is always there.

There are different ways to tackle this, from muting notifications to keeping some space between you and your device. But one easy way to be sure you check your phone less often is to do more with the lock screen on your handset.

You can populate the lock screen with a variety of alerts and updates that help you see what's happening with just a brief glance. You won't need to unlock your phone again and again, and you won't be drawn into checking multiple apps each time you pick it up. Here's what you can do on the major phone models.

Google Pixel Phones

Most Android phones now offer an always-on display feature, including recent Google Pixel models. To customize what appears on the lock screen, head to Settings, then choose Display and touch, and you'll find an Always-on display option: Tap this to find a toggle switch to enable or disable the feature.

Also on the Display and touch menu, you can tap Lock screen to configure what shows up on the display when your phone is locked. The main option to be aware of here is Notifications on lock screen: Tap this to choose how notifications appear onscreen (in full or as snippets) and to determine which kinds of alerts show up.

You can for example hide "sensitive" info from the lock screen, in case someone else glances at your phone—this essentially just means notifications from messaging apps, which might include personal stuff that you want to make sure isn't available to other people. (Remember, with the always-on display setting enabled, anyone around you can get a look at your lock screen).

The other option you may want to enable on the Lock screen menu is Widgets on lock screen. This lets you set up widgets like a camera shortcut and a weather forecast to be one swipe away on the lock screen—again saving you the trouble of having to unlock your phone and dive into specific apps.

Samsung Galaxy Phones

On a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can get to the relevant options by opening the main Settings screen, then choosing Lock screen and AOD (always-on display). First of all make sure the Always On Display toggle switch is turned on, then tap Now bar. This lock screen widget displays information like sports scores and fitness stats.

To control the notifications you see here, you need to go back to the Settings page, then choose Notifications > Lock screen. Enable Show notifications, then choose the style of alerts you want: Cards is the best one to pick, if you want to get as much information on the lock screen as possible.

On the Notifications screen, you also need to select Hide content while locked and enable Show always—otherwise you're not going to be able to see anything from your notifications on the lock screen. Just be aware that if you can view alerts on your lock screen, anyone else who picks up or looks at your phone can do the same.

You can add widgets to the lock screen too, for more at-a-glance information. With your phone locked, press and hold on a blank part of the lock screen to enter edit mode: If you then tap Add widgets, you can see which widgets are available (including calendar widgets and news updates). Tap Done to confirm your changes.

Apple iPhones

For iPhones, you can enable the always-on display from Settings by tapping Display & Brightness > Always On Display. As well as making sure the Always On Display toggle switch is turned on, you should also enable Show Notifications so that information from your apps comes through to the lock screen.

The notifications themselves can be managed from the Notifications entry in Settings. There are three notification layouts to pick from, and List is the best of the three if you want to get as much information as possible up on the lock screen, to reduce the number of phone unlocks you need to do.

Tap Show Previews on the same menu page, then pick Always, so that you get snippets of notification content on the lock screen as well. Just be aware of other people who may be able to access or see your phone, as they will also be able to view what's on the lock screen. (You may want to switch this off when you're out and about for example.)

It's possible to add widgets to the lock screen on iOS as well. With your phone locked, press and hold on a blank part of the display, then choose Add widgets. There should be plenty of choice, based on the apps you have installed on your phone—everything from email previews to news headlines can be put in lock screen widgets.