How to Fix Always On Display Not Working on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

By Dave Johnson - Executive Editor
5 Min Read

Find out what you can do to fix the Always On Display on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max when it’s not working.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are shown in close-up form from the top.

There’s no denying that iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max Always On Display is great. It lets you stay up to date on the date, time, widgets and other important information on your iPhone without having to turn on your screen every time.

However, there are instances when it fails to function properly. Luckily, there are several solutions that you can use to fix iPhone 14 Pro Always On Display when it isn’t working.

Always-on display temporarily turns itself off

Despite its name, the AOD will occasionally shut off. Here is a list of instances when the display is turned completely off in order to conserve battery:

  • Your iPhone 14 Pro is face down
  • Your iPhone 14 Pro is in your pocket or bag
  • Your iPhone 14 Pro is connected to CarPlay
  • Your iPhone 14 Pro is connected to your Apple Watch and you walk away.
  • Your iPhone 14 Pro is idle for a while (according to Apple, your iPhone learns your patterns and turns the AOD off automatically)
  • Sleep Focus is enabled on your iPhone 14 Pro
  • Low Power Mode is enabled on your iPhone 14 Pro
  • You’re using Continuity Camera

All of the situations above will turn off the AOD temporarily.

How to Fix Always On Display Not Working on iPhone 14 Pro

If the iPhone 14 Pro Always On Display doesn’t show up at all, keeps switching off, or isn’t working for any other reason, here’s what you can do to fix it:

1. Make Sure Always on Display is enabled

The reason why Always on Display is not working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max could simply be that you inadvertently turned off the feature. So, before trying advanced fixes, you should first check whether you have accidentally disabled Always on Display feature on your iPhone.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Go to Display & Brightness
  3. Select Always on Display.
    Toggle on Always on Display.

2. Turn off Low Power Mode

If you’ve enabled Low Power mode on your iPhone 14 Pro, that might explain why the Always On Display isn’t working. This is because Low Power mode mode will disable the Always On Display to save battery life.

Here’s how to disable Low Power Mode on your iPhone:

  1. Go to the Settings app.
  2. Select Battery.
  3. Toggle off Low Power Mode.

3. Restart your iPhone

If the Always On Display isn’t working as intended, try restarting your iPhone. This can help because apps or processes running in the background might be causing problems, and a restart will fix them. Here’s how:

  1. Hold down the side button and volume up button or volume down button.
  2. When the power slider appears on your screen, drag it to the right to turn your phone off.
  3. When the iPhone completely shuts off, hold down the side button to turn it back on.

4. Update iOS

The Always On Display can also stop working on your iPhone 14 Pro if the software is outdated. The good news is that checking for software updates is an easy process. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
  2. Tap Download and install if any update is available.

5. Check Your Proximity Sensor

The proximity sensor, which is usually located at the top of your iPhone screen, is designed to detect when your phone is face down, in a pocket, or held in your ear. It turns off the display when this happens to prevent accidentally hitting any buttons on the screen and to save power.

If the proximity sensor is covered by something like a case or screen protector, it might think the screen is covered and cause issues with the Always On Display on iPhone 14 Pro. To fix this issue, try removing any screen protectors or cases from your iPhone.

6. Disconnect your iPhone from CarPlay

When you use your iPhone in the car via CarPlay functionality, you interact with the car’s infotainment dashboard, therefore, iOS turns off the phone’s display. Here’s how to disconnect your iPhone from CarPlay:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap CarPlay.
  4. You’ll immediately see a list of vehicles synced with your iPhone. Tap on the vehicle that you’d like to forget.
  5. Tap the blue Forget This Car option on the next screen.
  6. Tap the red Forget option in the pop-up to confirm you want to forget the vehicle.

7. Toggle Raise to Wake off and On

When the iPhone 14 Pro Always On Display isn’t working, you can also try toggling Raise to Wake off and On. Here’s how:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down to and tap on ”Display and Brightness.”
  3. Raise to Wake is the middle item in the menu. If it’s on, the button next to it will be light green.
  4. To turn it off, tap on the toggle so it’s not green anymore.
  5. Toggle it on again.

8. Are you wearing an Apple Watch?

If your iPhone 14 Pro and Apple Watch are no longer within Bluetooth range, the display will go completely dark. iOS will turn the display back on when your Apple Watch establishes a connection with your iPhone again.

9. Disable Continuity Camera on iPhone

Continuity Camera is a feature that allows you to use an iPhone’s camera to scan documents or take a picture of something nearby and have it instantly appear on your Mac. If you’re using Continuity Camera, your iPhone 14 Pro will temporarily turn off its always-on display. Here’s how to turn off Continuity Camera:

  1. On your iPhone, go to Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap AirPlay & Handoff,.
  4. Toggle off Continuity Camera.

10. Turn off Sleep Focus

If Sleep Focus is active, iOS assumes you’re asleep and shuts down the iPhone’s always-on display. Here’s how to turn off sleep focus on iPhone:

  1. Open the Control Center by swiping down on the top-right of your screen
  2. Tap the Sleep icon (the moon)
  3. When you’re ready to reenable Sleep, you can tap the Focus icon in the Control Center to switch the feature back on.

11. Reset your iPhone’s settings

If the Always On Display isn’t working on your iPhone 14 Pro even after all the solutions above, go ahead and reset all iPhone settings. This should be seen as the very last option when all others have failed. Resetting all of your iPhone’s settings will erase all your Wi-Fi networks, preferences, and passwords. However, your personal data, like text messages, photos, and apps, will be kept intact.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. In the Settings, tap General.
  3. At the bottom of the General menu, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Tap Reset.
  5. In the pop-up that shows up, tap Reset All Settings.
  6. Enter your passcode (the one used to unlock your iPhone).

12. Contact Apple Support

If none of these fix your issue, your phone might have a deeper problem. Try bringing it to Apple to see what they have to say.

Keep Using the Always On Display

The Always On Display feature on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max can be a great addition if you don’t like having to unlock your phone every time you want to check the time or look at your widgets. Hopefully, one of the solutions listed above helped you resolve the iPhone 14 Pro Always On Display issue, and you are now able to make use of it as usual.

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By Dave Johnson Executive Editor
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Dave Johnson is the editor-in-chief at GeeksChalk where he oversees all of site’s evergreen content to ensure it’s up to date with the latest information. Hailing from New Jersey in the US, he has over seven years of experience in the tech journalism space and holds a degree in English Literature. In his spare time, Dave can found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, and petting every dog he comes across in the outside world.
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