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Other How Useful is the "Always On" Display Anyway?

boltjames

boltjames

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 2, 2010
4,876
2,851
So I'm on the fence between the iPhone 15 and the 15 Pro and while some of the features are nice (action button, camera) the real attraction here for me would be the Always On display.

For those who have experience with it, is it actually useful? Is Always On display impactful enough to make it worth getting the heavier phone?
 
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zuckuss00

macrumors regular
Jun 23, 2012
127
39
I don’t see the appeal of this feature. I plan on turning it off for a number of reasons. Battery for one but I also just find it distracting. I want my display off unless there is a reason for it to pop on.

Also on a side note… these are still OLED displays and burn in, although very hard to do, is still a thing. I wonder how Apple mitigated that from a constant static image like a Lock Screen image from retention.
 
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Duckhunter

macrumors member
Jan 27, 2014
39
22
I enjoy it! But my phone is usaully on my desk so its pretty useful for me to be able to look at it without picking it up or tapping it!
 
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Brad7

Cancelled
May 3, 2022
1,484
4,266
I didn’t think of it much at first, but now I can’t live without it. It is extremely convenient to be able to glance and see if there are any notifications or check the time.

A bonus is that I don’t have to tap to wake first to then swipe unlock. I can simply swipe unlock even as it’s “sleeping” in Always-On mode.

I’ve also disabled Raise to Wake. Best combo for me.
 
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Vothic

macrumors newbie
Apr 28, 2013
17
11
Super excited when this feature came out, but after giving it a shot a couple different times I always just end up turing it off. Personally I find it oddly distracting, like it is always catching my eye and thus drawing my attention for no reason. I’m sure some people really love the feature, to each their own, but if it were me and the only deciding factor between the two phones is that the Pro has the always on display I would not spend the extra money just for that.
 
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Apple_Tiger

macrumors 6502a
Jan 23, 2023
614
856
I have mine turned off 95% of the time. I say that because when I need to use Uber that is the only time I have it on.
 
aperfectcircle

aperfectcircle

macrumors member
Dec 9, 2020
91
183
I find it useful being able to quickly glance to check for notifications, though I would rate promotion higher than AOD. If AOD was the only point of difference though, it‘s not that great that I would pay extra for; it wouldn’t be missed.
 
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LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
It’s been useful to me. At a glance, I can see my battery levels for my AirPods, Apple Watch, and the iPhone itself. Can see the weather and temp. And notifications stay static.

I hate raise to wake on smartwatches. And I’m minimalist when it comes to watch faces.
 
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boltjames

boltjames

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 2, 2010
4,876
2,851
Apple_Robert said:
It’s not a major feature for me but, I like it.
Click to expand...

Duckhunter said:
I enjoy it! But my phone is usaully on my desk so its pretty useful for me to be able to look at it without picking it up or tapping it!
Click to expand...

Brad7 said:
I didn’t think of it much at first, but now I can’t live without it. It is extremely convenient to be able to glance and see if there are any notifications or check the time.

A bonus is that I don’t have to tap to wake first to then swipe unlock. I can simply swipe unlock even as it’s “sleeping” in Always-On mode.

I’ve also disabled Raise to Wake. Best combo for me.
Click to expand...

aperfectcircle said:
I find it useful being able to quickly glance to check for notifications, though I would rate promotion higher than AOD. If AOD was the only point of difference though, it‘s not that great that I would pay extra for; it wouldn’t be missed.
Click to expand...

LIVEFRMNYC said:
It’s been useful to me. At a glance, I can see my battery levels for my AirPods, Apple Watch, and the iPhone itself. Can see the weather and temp. And notifications stay static.

I hate raise to wake on smartwatches. And I’m minimalist when it comes to watch faces.
Click to expand...

For those who responded that it's useful, quick question:

How often is the data refreshed for Home Screen Widgets and Live Activities?

For my usecase where I'm in meetings quite often, it would be useful to have the Always On display so I can glance down and get a sports score or current temperature, but that's only good if the sports Live Activity updates every 1-2 minutes or the temperature updates every 15 minutes, that sort of thing. Do the Widgets and Live Activities refresh themselves in the Always On state? Or do they need to be nudged with a swipe?
 
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LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
boltjames said:
For those who responded that it's useful, quick question:

How often is the data refreshed for Home Screen Widgets and Live Activities?

For my usecase where I'm in meetings quite often, it would be useful to have the Always On display so I can glance down and get a sports score or current temperature, but that's only good if the sports Live Activity updates every 1-2 minutes or the temperature updates every 15 minutes, that sort of thing. Do the Widgets and Live Activities refresh themselves in the Always On state? Or do they need to be nudged with a swipe?
Click to expand...

They defiantly refresh themselves often. I never timed it tho, but it's as often as when the phone is not on AOD. AOD on the iPhone is basically just a dimmed lock screen. Apple didn't mess with the rate of lock screen widget refresh when the lock screen is on AOD.
 
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