Apple revealed its next major software build - iOS 17 - in June 2023 and it comes with a host of great new features, many of which we expect to be available to compatible iPhones in the coming weeks. I have several favourites, one of which is StandBy, which effectively turns your iPhone into a smart display when it's charging.

This is everything you need to know about StandBy, including what the feature offers and how to use it.

What is StandBy mode on iPhone?

StandBy is a feature available to compatible iPhones running iOS 17 that makes your iPhone much smarter when charging. The iOS 17 software - and therefore StandBy - is currently in the public beta phase - which you can install if your iPhone is supported - but the final build will be released around the same time as the iPhone 15 models, which is expected to be in the middle of September.

StandBy is designed to offer up glanceable information that you can see from a distance. Think of it as a miniature Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show, where you can see various information from across the room, like the time, date or your excellent dog/cat/children (delete as appropriate) photos.

The feature turns your iPhone screen into a much smarter display than it would previously have been. Before StandBy, you would just have a black screen when you charged your iPhone until you tapped it to wake it up. While the Apple Watch has a Bedside Mode where you can see the time on the screen when it is charging, iPhone has never had such wonders that until StandBy arrived.

With Standby, your iPhone screen will display various clock faces, photos or other widgets, depending on what you choose, making it significantly more versatile. StandBy also supports Live Activities in full screen so you can see when your Uber Eats order is coming, and Siri is supported too, showing results like weather and timers in full screen.

How to use StandBy on iPhone

The StandBy mode on iPhone is turned on by default so you don't need to actively turn it on once you have downloaded and installed iOS 17. The feature will automatically appear on an iPhone running iOS 17 when the iPhone is charging and in landscape mode.

To get the most out of StandBy, you'll want a MagSafe charging stand that supports a landscape orientation. I use the Belkin Boost Charge Pro 2-in1 Wireless Charger Stand with MagSafe, though there are a number of others out there that perform a similar role. Using a stand means the information displayed on your iPhone's screen when in StandBy mode is more visible. It's perfect for a bedside table, acting as a bedside clock, but it's useful in other settings too. If you charge your iPhone in your kitchen for example, you could have your iPhone displaying your various holiday photos for everyone to enjoy or that takeaway Live Activity as mentioned.

You can swipe between the StandBy screens like you would swipe between home screens. By default, the three options are a circular clock with a calendar next to it, a Photos view and a larger clock view.

Swipe up on any of the three displays and different options appear. For the larger clock screen, there are five different clock options and you can change the colours to if you press and hold on the one you want to shake up a little. Make sure you hit 'Done' in the top right corner when you've picked the one you want.

For the Photos screen, you can choose between Featured Photos, Nature photos, City photos and People photos and StandBy will automatically filter the images in your Photos library into the respective categories. You can also select a specific album by hitting the '+' in the top left corner and choosing an album.

For the clock and widget screen, you can press and hold on the widget on the right to open up widget editing, turn on Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions, or add various other widgets, like weather, batteries or the Sleep app. Swiping up on the clock on the left of this dual screen will show up various other clock styles.

How to turn StandBy on iPhone off

If you don't like StandBy or you want to turn the feature off entirely, you just need to head to Settings > StandBy > Toggle off StandBy.