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Device guide

Keep your iPhone screen on in Safari

Safari 16.4 and later can keep your iPhone screen on while the AwakeTab tab is in front. Tap Keep awake once, because Safari only grants a wake lock after a tap. Switch apps and the lock is released until you come back.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026 4 min read By Soubhik Biswas
  • Safari 16.4 or later
  • Home Screen web app iOS 18.4 or later
  • Extension not on iPhone

Try it

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

Ready Suggested · 30 min
Starts when you open this tab
30:00

ends at

How AwakeTab knows

    Session complete

    Keeps awake for
    30:00
    ends at
    Keeps awake for
    30:00
    ends at of 30 min
    30:00
    ends at
    Keeps awake for
    30:00
    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 30-minute 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 iPhone

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

    1. Step 1: Check your iOS version

      Settings › General › About

      Look at the iOS Version row. Safari gained the wake lock in iOS 16.4 (March 2023). On anything older, AwakeTab offers a video fallback after one tap instead.

    2. Step 2: Open AwakeTab in Safari and tap Keep awake

      Safari › awaketab.com

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

    3. Step 3: Keep the tab in front

      No app switching while it runs

      Going to the Home Screen, opening another app or pressing the side button hides the page. The pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden". Come back and AwakeTab asks Safari again by itself.

    4. Step 4: Optional: add it to your Home Screen

      Share › Add to Home Screen

      From iOS 18.4 the Home Screen web app can hold the wake lock too, and it opens without the Safari toolbar. On iOS 26, sites you add open as web apps by default.

    Which iPhone 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 16.4 or later, tab in front Supported Tap Keep awake once. Safari needs that tap before it grants the lock.
    Session started without a tap, for example after a reload Blocked The pill says "Blocked — here's the fix". Tap Retry.
    Another app, another tab or the lock screen Pauses The lock is released. It comes back when you return to the tab.
    Low Power Mode on Not yet tested Low Power Mode sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds (Apple support article 101604).
    Home Screen web app, iOS 18.4 or later Supported Same rules as Safari. The fix shipped in WebKit for iOS 18.4.
    Home Screen web app before iOS 18.4 Not supported Open AwakeTab in Safari instead.
    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.
    Safari before 16.4 Video fallback Tap once to start it. It needs this tab visible and uses a little more battery.
    AwakeTab browser extension Not available The extension is for desktop Chrome and Edge. There is no iPhone version.

    What turns the screen off anyway

    If the screen still dims, one of these is usually the reason. Each has its own fix.

    • 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 a reload or a restored tab, Safari waits for a fresh tap before it grants the lock again.
    • An old Home Screen web app Before iOS 18.4, web apps opened from the Home Screen cannot hold a wake lock. Home Screen web apps

    Questions

    Why does my screen go dark after 30 seconds once I leave Safari?

    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 tab.

    iOS reloaded the tab. 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 Safari needs before it grants a new wake lock.

    Should I use Safari or the Home Screen web app?

    Either works on iOS 18.4 or later. The web app opens full screen without the Safari toolbar, so there is less to tap by mistake. On older iOS, stay in Safari.

    How much battery does it use?

    Almost all of the cost is the lit screen itself. AwakeTab does very little while it waits. For a long session, plug in or turn the brightness down.

    Soubhik Biswas

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