How to activate and customize the always-on display mode on your mobile

The permanent display mode has been around for a few years in Android phones in Europe and more and more brands are introducing this function, as OnePlus recently did in Oxygen OS 11. This function allows the phone to display a series of data without the need to unlock the phone, so that we have immediate access to this information. These are usually the time, date, battery percentage, as well as icons with notifications (but not their content).

More and more Android brands have adopted this always-on display mode on their phones, also called active mode or ambient mode. If you have a phone compatible with it (only present on models with OLED or AMOLED panel), we will show you how to activate and customize this mode.

Always improve Samsung’s display with this app

aodNotify is a curious application that allows you to activate the Always On Display of Samsung mobiles only when notifications arrive.

How to activate always-on display mode on Android

If we want to use this function on the phone, the first thing to do is to activate it. This is something we can do from Android settings, although the section where this option is located may vary between layers of customization. In the case of Samsung’s One UI, the steps for activating it are as follows:

1. Open the settings.
2. Go to the section called Lock Screen (in other layers it’s onscreen).
3. Look for the Always on display option.
4. Activate this option.

In addition, there is one detail to take into account and that is that when using this mode, part of the battery is exhausted. Although, since it is an OLED or AMOLED panel and most of the pixels on the screen are off due to the black background, the power consumption is reduced. In some phones, such as the first Samsung models to use it, consumption is typically an additional 3%. It’s not something that is going to have an excessive impact, but it is good to know that you are going to be consuming something.

Customize this feature on Android

El Modo still on screen usually also supports some customization options, like the style of the clock we want to use to display on it, as well as the colors. Personalization options also depend on the brand, although most Android brands that use this feature allow you to choose from a variety of watch styles and colors. The steps to customize this watch are:

1. Open the settings.
2. Enter the lock screen.
3. Go to the Always On Display section.
4. Tap Clock Style.
5. Choose the type of watch you want and change the colors as you like.
6. In the previous section, set the orientation of the text.
7. Configure whether you want this mode to be activated by pressing a button or to always be active on your mobile.

With these simple steps, you will have personalized its appearance, making it more suitable for what you want and showing it in a way that is comfortable for you.