Android · Personalization

Customize Your Lock Screen & Always-on Display

Lock screen settings control the clock style, shortcuts, and what information (like notifications and weather) appears before you unlock your phone. Always-on display, on supported devices, keeps a dimmed version of the clock and key notifications visible even while the screen is otherwise off.

How to open Lock Screen & Always-on Display

  1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home screen, then tap 'Lock screen' (or open Settings → Display & touch → Lock screen).
  2. Adjust clock style, shortcuts, and notification visibility.
  3. Open 'Always-on display' to choose Always on, Tap to show, or a custom schedule.

What you should know

  • Clock style, size, and color can often be customized separately from the rest of the lock screen.
  • Two shortcut icons (like camera and flashlight) can usually be assigned to the bottom corners of the lock screen.
  • Always-on display can be set to stay on continuously, activate on tap, or follow a custom schedule to save battery.
  • Notification content shown on the lock screen can be set to full detail, summary only, or hidden entirely.

Always-on display uses extra battery, even though it's optimized for low power draw — heavier schedules (always-on versus tap-to-show) will drain noticeably faster over a full day.

Why it matters

The lock screen is the first thing you see dozens of times a day, so getting the right balance of useful information and privacy protection genuinely shapes how the phone feels to use. Always-on display in particular trades a small amount of battery life for the convenience of checking the time or a notification without fully waking the phone, which matters most for people who glance at their phone frequently throughout the day. Getting notification visibility right on the lock screen is also a real privacy setting, not just a cosmetic one, since it controls what a stranger could read on a phone left face-up on a table.

Best practices

  • Hide sensitive notification content on the lock screen if the phone is ever visible to others, like at work or in shared spaces.
  • Use 'Tap to show' for Always-on display instead of continuous mode if battery life matters more than glanceability.
  • Assign lock screen shortcuts to your two most time-sensitive actions, like camera and flashlight.
  • Schedule Always-on display to turn off overnight if you don't need the clock visible while sleeping.
  • Revisit lock screen clock style after a major update, since new styles and layouts are occasionally added.

Common problems and fixes

Always-on display drains noticeably more battery than expected.
Switch from 'Always on' to 'Tap to show' or a scheduled window under Settings → Display & touch → Always-on display.
Sensitive notification content is visible to anyone who picks up the phone.
Set lock screen notifications to 'Hide sensitive content' or 'Don't show notifications' under Lock screen settings.
Lock screen shortcuts open the wrong apps.
Reassign both shortcut icons from the Lock screen customization menu to your preferred apps.
Always-on display isn't available at all on the device.
Confirm the device's display technology actually supports it (typically OLED/AMOLED panels only); LCD-based phones generally don't offer this feature.

Tips and tricks

  • Match your Always-on display's wallpaper option with your regular wallpaper for a more integrated always-on look on supported devices.
  • Set a scheduled Always-on display window (like waking hours only) as a middle ground between full battery savings and constant glanceability.

Frequently asked questions

Does Always-on display significantly reduce battery life?

It uses more power than a fully off screen, though it's optimized to be low-impact; 'Tap to show' or a scheduled window reduces the effect further.

Can I stop notification content from showing on the lock screen?

Yes, set lock screen notification visibility to hide sensitive content or turn off lock screen notifications entirely.

Can I change which two apps appear as lock screen shortcuts?

Yes, open Lock screen customization and reassign each corner shortcut to a different app, like camera or flashlight.

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