Device guide
Keep your Android screen on in Chrome
Chrome 84 and later can keep your Android screen on while the AwakeTab tab is showing. Start a session and the screen stays lit for as long as you can see the tab. Leave Chrome and your normal screen timeout comes back, with nothing to undo and no app to install.
- Chrome 84 or later
- Samsung Internet 14 or later
- Screen timeout one setting for every app
- Floating window not on Android
Try it
Start a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill.
Set it up on your Android phone
Four steps. The screenshots are placeholders until real-device captures are recorded.
Step 1: Open AwakeTab in Chrome and tap Start
Chrome › awaketab.comPick a length or an "Until…" time, then tap Start. Wait for the pill to say "Screen awake".
Step 2: Keep the tab on screen
No Home, Recents or other appsLeaving Chrome or the tab ends the lock straight away, and the pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden". Come back and AwakeTab asks again.
Step 3: Optional: use split screen
Recents › app icon › Split screenPut your recipe or notes in one half and AwakeTab in the other, so the tab stays on screen. The steps differ by phone maker.
Step 4: Optional: change the phone's own timeout
Settings › Display › Screen timeoutOn a Pixel with Android 16, the path is Settings › Display & touch › Screen timeout. It covers every app, and the longest choice depends on your phone.
Which Android setups keep the screen on
Support claims come from browser documentation and automated tests. Real-device results appear in the matrix once recorded. Sources checked 26 September 2026.
What turns the screen off anyway
If the screen still goes dark, one of these is usually the reason.
- Sleeping-apps lists Some makers, Samsung's "sleeping apps" for example, can close Chrome after you leave it. They do not touch a tab you are looking at.
- Battery Saver Chrome does not refuse the wake lock because of it. It may shorten your timeout or dim the screen once you leave the tab.
- One timeout for the whole phone Stock Android has no per-app timeout, so a long one also drains the battery in your pocket. Android screen timeout for one app
- The power button Pressing it turns the screen off, whatever the tab asked for.
Questions
Can I set a longer screen timeout for Chrome only?
Not on stock Android: Screen timeout is one setting for the whole phone. AwakeTab gets close to a per-app timeout for the browser, because the screen stays on only while its Chrome tab is on screen and your normal timeout returns when you leave.
Does Battery Saver stop Chrome keeping the screen on?
No. Chrome has no Battery Saver check on the wake lock, so it is not refused. Battery Saver may still shorten your timeout or dim the display, which changes what happens after the session ends or once you leave the tab.
Why was my session gone when I came back to Chrome?
Some phones close apps they think you have stopped using, and Chrome can be one of them once it is in the background. AwakeTab restores a session after the page reloads, so check the pill. If it keeps happening, look for your phone maker's list of apps that should never sleep and add Chrome.
Can I use AwakeTab's floating window on Android?
No. The floating window needs a desktop browser feature that Chrome for Android lacks. Split screen is the nearest option, since it keeps the tab on screen beside another app.