How to stop the iPhone or iPad lock screen from dimming too quickly
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ioshugo • April 17, 2026 at 6:35am
Since recent iOS updates, the lock screen only stays awake for about 10 seconds when a notification arrives. I am a slow reader and this is not enough and I cannot find a setting to turn this feature off. I’ve put in about 10 faults with iOS and none of them have been fixed. I’ve emailed Tim cook and no response. Is there a setting to increase this duration so there is more time to read notifications before the screen goes dark?
Answers
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iClarified • April 29, 2026 at 2:35pm
Apple does not currently offer a setting to specifically adjust how long the lock screen stays awake when a notification is received. This short duration is designed to preserve battery life. To manage this issue, you can try the following workarounds:
- Enable Raise to Wake or Tap to Wake: Go to Settings -> Display & Brightness and ensure these are on. This allows you to quickly wake the screen back up without pressing a button.
- Always-On Display: If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or later, you can enable the Always-On Display in Settings -> Display & Brightness to keep a dimmed version of your lock screen and notifications visible at all times.
- Accessibility Settings: If reading the text quickly is a challenge, you can use Speak Screen. Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content and turn on Speak Screen. You can then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to have the notifications read aloud.
- Haptic Touch: You can long-press a notification on the lock screen to expand it, which may keep the screen active for a slightly longer period while you interact with the preview.
- Enable Raise to Wake or Tap to Wake: Go to Settings -> Display & Brightness and ensure these are on. This allows you to quickly wake the screen back up without pressing a button.
- Always-On Display: If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or later, you can enable the Always-On Display in Settings -> Display & Brightness to keep a dimmed version of your lock screen and notifications visible at all times.
- Accessibility Settings: If reading the text quickly is a challenge, you can use Speak Screen. Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Spoken Content and turn on Speak Screen. You can then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to have the notifications read aloud.
- Haptic Touch: You can long-press a notification on the lock screen to expand it, which may keep the screen active for a slightly longer period while you interact with the preview.
Thanks but the always on display function still gets rid of the notifications immediately. I want iOS to work how it used to work before these things were changed as it’s making me choose more devices that are not apple now. — ioshugo • May 11, 2026 at 8:38am
It may also help to tap and keep your finger on the screen while reading the notification. This may prevent the screen from going to sleep until you're done. — iClarified • May 13, 2026 at 2:06pm