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Device guide

Keep an iPad display awake

Safari on iPadOS 16.4 or later can keep your iPad display on while the AwakeTab tab is visible. Tap Start once, because Safari only grants a wake lock after a tap. When you stop, switch tabs or leave Safari, the iPad goes back to its Auto-Lock time.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026 3 min read By Soubhik Biswas
  • Safari iPadOS 16.4 or later
  • Home Screen web app iPadOS 18.4 or later
  • Full screen iPad only, not iPhone
  • Low Power Mode Auto-Lock 30 seconds

Try it

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

Ready Suggested · 1 h
Starts when you open this tab
1:00:00

ends at

How AwakeTab knows

    Session complete

    Keeps awake for
    1:00:00
    ends at
    Keeps awake for
    1:00:00
    ends at of 1 hour
    1:00:00
    ends at
    Keeps awake for
    1:00:00
    ends at

    Stopped to save battery

    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.

    ends at

    How long?

    ends at

    Share this session

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

    Is AwakeTab doing its job?

    Your rating

    Time's up. Keep going?

    Settings

    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.
    Pro Your plan and the devices it covers. See what's in Pro Manage devices
    Reset to defaults

    Every setting here goes back to its default. Your notes, stats and Pro stay.

    What's new

    Version 2026.10.21 · a91a8c2

    Customize

    Make it yours. Every change shows on the clock at once.

    Every face shows the same time and state. Swipe the clock or press C to switch faces.

    Classic

    Retro

    Modern

    Your stats

    This week
    Today
    Streak
    All time

    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

    Space
    Start or stop
    1 6
    Presets 15 min–4 h
    0
    Until I stop
    U
    Until a time
    Esc
    Close or stop

    Screen

    F
    Fullscreen
    C
    Next clock face (Shift+C goes back)
    D
    Cycle theme
    M
    Cycle ambient mode
    P
    Floating window

    Tools

    S
    Sounds
    N
    Notes
    T
    Focus timer
    B
    Breathing guide
    I
    What you're working on
    ?
    This overlay

    Press ? or Esc to close. Single-key shortcuts can be turned off in Settings.Single-key shortcuts can be turned off in Settings.

    AwakeTab Pro

    $12 a year

    • More themes, lamps and backgrounds
    • A sound mixer
    • More notes
    • A repeating Pomodoro
    • Message mode
    • 12 weeks of stats

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

    Enter licence key Get Pro

    Clock

    Start a 1-hour 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 iPad

    Four steps. The screenshots are placeholders until real-device captures are recorded.

    1. Step 1: Open AwakeTab in Safari and tap Start

      Safari › awaketab.com

      Safari will not grant a wake lock until you tap, even from a shared /1h link. Wait for the pill to say "Screen awake".

    2. Step 2: Keep AwakeTab beside your score or recipe

      Windowed apps › tile Safari beside the other app

      On iPadOS 26, tile Safari next to the other app, or use Slide Over, back in iPadOS 26.1. On iPadOS 18 and earlier, use Split View. The AwakeTab window can be small; it only needs to be on screen.

    3. Step 3: Optional: go full screen

      AwakeTab header › Fullscreen

      Safari on iPad lets a page go full screen, which iPhone Safari does not. The clock or countdown fills the display, readable from across the room.

    4. Step 4: Optional: change Auto-Lock instead

      Settings › Display & Brightness › Auto-Lock

      Pick a longer time or Never. On a shared iPad, a changed setting is easy to forget, which is why a tab suits one rehearsal or one recipe.

    Which iPad 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.

    SetupResultWhat to know
    Safari on iPadOS 16.4 or later, tab visible Supported Tap Start once. Safari needs that tap before it grants the lock.
    Safari tiled beside another app, or in Slide Over Not yet tested The tab stays on screen. We have not yet recorded which layouts keep the lock on a real iPad.
    Another app fills the screen, or another Safari tab Pauses The lock is released until the tab is visible again.
    Low Power Mode on Not yet tested It sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds.
    Home Screen web app, iPadOS 18.4 or later Supported Earlier versions have no wake lock there, so use Safari.
    Safari before iPadOS 16.4 Video fallback No Screen Wake Lock API. You will see "Tap to use the fallback".

    What turns the screen off anyway

    If the display still goes dark, one of these is usually the reason.

    • Low Power Mode It sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds and greys out the longer choices. Fix a greyed-out Auto-Lock
    • A work or school profile It can cap Auto-Lock, and only its administrator can change it. Check for a profile
    • No tap yet Safari waits for a tap before it grants the lock.
    • Closing the cover or pressing the top button Either locks the iPad straight away.

    Questions

    Which layout keeps AwakeTab beside my music on iPadOS 26?

    Use windowed apps and tile Safari next to your score app, or open Safari in Slide Over, which returned in iPadOS 26.1. Split View is the name on iPadOS 18 and earlier.

    Why does my school iPad still lock after two minutes?

    A school or work profile can cap Auto-Lock, and only its administrator can change it. You can see installed profiles in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. A visible AwakeTab tab may help within those rules, but it does not change them.

    Does the screen stay on if my score app fills the whole screen?

    No. If the score app covers the display, Safari is no longer visible and iPadOS releases the wake lock. Keep a small AwakeTab window on screen beside it, or change Auto-Lock for the length of the rehearsal.

    Is the iPad any different from an iPhone here?

    Two things. An iPad can show more than one app, so AwakeTab can stay visible next to a recipe or score. And Safari on iPad lets a page go full screen, which iPhone Safari does not allow for page elements.

    Soubhik Biswas

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