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Keep an iOS Home Screen app awake

From iOS 18.4, AwakeTab added to your Home Screen can keep the iPhone screen on while the app is open in front. Tap Start once, because iOS only grants a wake lock after a tap. On iOS 26, sites you add to the Home Screen open as web apps by default. Before iOS 18.4, web apps cannot hold the lock, so use AwakeTab in Safari instead.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026 4 min read By Soubhik Biswas
  • Home Screen web app iOS 18.4 or later
  • Safari instead iOS 16.4 or later
  • iOS 26 added sites open as web apps
  • Low Power Mode Auto-Lock 30 seconds

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Start a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill.

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Starts when you open this tab
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    Session complete

    Keeps awake for
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    until you stop
    Keeps awake for
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    until you stop no limit
    00:00
    until you stop
    Keeps awake for
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    Keeps this screen on while this tab stays visible.

    Ends Until you stop

    Type any time. A time that has already passed today means tomorrow.

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    Waits for a tap to start.Starts keeping the screen awake as it opens.

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    How AwakeTab behaves. Every change saves as you make it.

    Timer Ask to extendJust stop · · Notifies youNo notification
    When time is up
    End sound Chosen in Customize, with the focus sounds.
    Clock Follow language12-hour24-hour · Seconds shownNo seconds · English
    Clock format
    Language English
    Focus Pomodoro lengths, breathing and your intention
    Device and privacy Battery stop onBattery stop off · Shortcuts onShortcuts off · Usage data onUsage data off
    15%
    AwakeTab stops the session at this level.Turn on the switch above to choose a level.
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    Every setting here goes back to its default. Your notes, stats and Pro stay.

    What's new

    Version 2026.10.21 · a91a8c2

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    time awake per day

    Pro keeps 12 weeks of history. See what's in Pro

    One row per day: date, minutes, sessions.

    Keyboard shortcuts

    Shortcuts need a keyboard. Without one, the buttons on screen do the same things.

    Session

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    1 6
    Presets 15 min–4 h
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    Screen

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    Keeping the screen awake stays free, with no ads on the awake screen.

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    Clock

    Start this session
    On this page
    1. Try it
    2. Set it up
    3. Which setups work
    4. What turns it off
    5. Honest limit
    6. Questions
    7. Related

    Set it up on your Home Screen

    Four steps. The first tells you whether the Home Screen app can hold the lock at all.

    1. Step 1: Check your iOS version

      Settings › General › About

      Look at the iOS Version row. Home Screen web apps gained the wake lock in iOS 18.4, through a WebKit fix. On anything older, skip the Home Screen and use Safari.

    2. Step 2: Add AwakeTab to your Home Screen

      Safari › Share › Add to Home Screen

      Open awaketab.com in Safari first. The icon opens AwakeTab without the Safari toolbar, and on iOS 26 it opens as a web app by default.

    3. Step 3: Open the app and tap Start

      Home Screen › AwakeTab

      iOS will not grant a wake lock until you touch the page, so the session always starts from your tap. The pill says "Screen awake" only once iOS has agreed.

    4. Step 4: Keep the app in front

      No app switching while it runs

      Going Home, opening another app or pressing the side button releases the lock, and the pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden". Open the app again and AwakeTab asks again by itself.

    Which Home Screen setups keep the screen on

    These results come from WebKit’s release notes and bug tracker and Apple’s support pages, checked 26 September 2026. Real-device results appear once recorded.

    SetupResultWhat to know
    Home Screen web app, iOS 18.4 or later, app in front Supported Tap Start once. The same rules as Safari apply.
    Site added to the Home Screen on iOS 26 Supported iOS 26 opens it as a web app by default, so the web app rules apply.
    Home Screen web app before iOS 18.4 Not supported Open AwakeTab in Safari instead. Safari 16.4 or later holds the lock.
    Session started without a tap, for example after a reload Blocked The pill says "Blocked — here's the fix". Tap Retry.
    Home Screen, another app or the lock screen Pauses The lock is released. It comes back when you return to the app.
    Low Power Mode on Not yet tested WebKit has no check for it. It sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds, which takes over once you leave the app.
    iPad Home Screen web app, iPadOS 18.4 or later Supported The same rules. See keep an iPad display awake.

    What turns the screen off anyway

    If the screen still dims with the app open, one of these is usually the reason.

    • Low Power Mode It sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and greys out the longer choices, including Never. Fix a greyed-out Auto-Lock
    • A work or school profile A management profile can set a maximum Auto-Lock time that you cannot change. Check for a profile
    • No tap yet After iOS reloads the app, it waits for a fresh tap before it grants the lock again.
    • An iOS version before 18.4 The web app opens, but it cannot hold a wake lock. Safari can. Keep your iPhone screen on in Safari

    Questions

    Should I use the Home Screen app or Safari?

    Either works on iOS 18.4 or later. The Home Screen app opens without the Safari toolbar, which suits a bedside clock. On older iOS, only Safari can keep the screen on.

    iOS reloaded the app. Do I lose my session?

    No. AwakeTab remembers how much time you had left and offers to resume. Tap Resume: that tap is also what iOS needs before it grants a new wake lock.

    Why does the screen go dark after 30 seconds once I leave the app?

    Low Power Mode is probably on. It sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds, and once AwakeTab is not in front, Auto-Lock is in charge again. Turn Low Power Mode off in Settings › Battery if you need longer outside the app.

    Can the screen stay on while I use another app?

    Not from AwakeTab. iOS releases the wake lock as soon as the app is not in front. For that, change Settings › Display & Brightness › Auto-Lock instead, and set it back afterwards.

    Soubhik Biswas

    Builds AwakeTab. Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026. About AwakeTab