Where is the always-on display setting?
The setting that keeps the clock visible on a sleeping screen has seven different labels, and some of them are not about the display at all. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
16 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use five different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Always On | 5 |
| Always On Display | 4 |
| Always-on display | 2 |
| Raise to Wake | 2 |
| Always-On Display | 1 |
| Tap to wake | 1 |
| Tap to Wake | 1 |
The most common is Always On, on 5 of the 16. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 7 spellings for five actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 11 of the 16 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Android 17 | Display › Always-on display | 2 |
| Fitbit OS OS 5 | Display › Always-on display | 2 |
| Garmin System 20 | Display › Always On | 2 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Display & brightness › Always On Display | 2 |
| Huawei Watch HarmonyOS 5 | Watch Faces › Always On Display | 2 |
| iOS 27.0 | Display & Brightness › Raise to Wake | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Lock screen and AOD › Always On Display | 2 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Customization › Always-On Display | 2 |
| watchOS 27 | Display & Brightness › Always On | 2 |
| Wear OS 7 | Display › Tap to wake | 2 |
| Zepp OS Zepp OS 6 | Watch Faces › Always On Display | 2 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Accessibility › Touch › Tap to Wake | 3 |
| Windows 98 98 SE | Power Management › Power scheme › Always On | 3 |
| Windows XP SP3 | Performance and Maintenance › Power Options › Always On | 3 |
| PlayStation 26.06 | Screen and Video › Video Output › HDR › Always On | 4 |
| tvOS 27 | Remotes and Devices › Bluetooth › Siri Remote › Raise to Wake | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Half the names describe the screen staying lit — Always On, Always On Display, Ambient display. The other half describe how you wake it: Raise to wake, Tap to wake, Lift to Wake. Those are different features that vendors file together because they answer the same complaint: I want to see the time without picking the thing up.
It lives in the display group almost everywhere, and it is the first setting to check when a battery is draining faster than it used to.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to battery life, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where is the always-on display setting on most systems?
On 11 of the 16 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Always On”, used by 5 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are five different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
16 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.