Samsung Always ON Display – Everything You Need

The Samsung Always ON Display feature was first introduced in the Galaxy S7 series in 2016. It is designed to show limited information while the phone’s screen is OFF. This article will tell you all you need to know about the AOD feature and its customizability.

What is Samsung Always ON Display, and why do you need it?

The Samsung Always ON Display feature is a new battery-conserving way to view notifications, play or pause music, pin memos, text, or images, and check the time, date, and battery percentage without unlocking your phone. The Samsung Always ON Display feature is customizable, with a few tweaks here and there to make it better to your liking.

The AOD settings and screens available would vary depending on your device’s software version and model.

How to turn AOD ON or OFF

You can access your Samsung Always ON Display settings in two ways: Quick Settings or the Settings menu.

By Quick Settings:

Swipe down from the top of your screen to open your Quick Panel.
Tap and hold the Always ON Display icon, represented by a clock, to open the AOD settings.
Tap the Always ON Display icon to activate or deactivate the feature.

By Settings menu:

Search for Always ON Display in the dialogue bar from your phone’s Settings and select it.
Open Always ON Display and turn the switch ON or OFF.
You can also adjust your AOD settings from this window.

How to adjust and customize the Always ON Display on your Samsung phone

There are so many adjustments you can make to your AOD. To choose your preferred AOD settings, open the Always ON Display menu.

Tap to display for 10 seconds: This is your device’s default AOD setting. When you tap your screen, your AOD screen appears for 10 seconds.
Show Always: This setting continuously displays the AOD screen while your screen is turned OFF.
Show as scheduled: This setting displays your AOD based on a schedule you set, such as displaying the AOD at certain times.
Clock style: The clock types and colors are customizable. You can also add images or GIFs.
Show music information: You can control your music player by setting your AOD to show music information using the FaceWidgets music controller.
Rotate screen to: You can choose between Portrait and Landscape mode in your AOD.

When Power Saving mode is turned ON, AOD becomes unavailable.

What is animated AOD, and how to enable it?

Animated Always ON Display is a type of animated on-screen wallpaper. You use a preloaded GIF or pick a downloaded GIF from your gallery. If the length of the GIF is more than 5 seconds, it will be played once, and if it is less than 5 seconds, it will automatically play twice. To enable the animated AOD:

Open your device’s Settings, search for Always ON Display in the dialog bar and select it.
Tap Always ON Display, then select Clock style. You can choose your desired clock style from here.
You can also change your clock’s color after changing your style. Select Colour, choose your desired color, then tap Done when you’re satisfied.
If you want to use a GIF already downloaded on your gallery, tap the + icon. If you prefer to use a preloaded GIF, tap Add GIF and select the GIF you want.

NB: When you set your AOD as “Shown always,” the fingerprint icon on the screen appears like a clock or a notification to make it easy for you to find the position of the sensor without turning the screen ON. If you do not like this preference, set your AOD to “Tab to show” or “Show as scheduled.”

How to download Always ON Display themes from the Galaxy Store

Go to your device’s Settings and open Themes. Next, scroll down and open the AOD tab at the bottom of the navigation bar.
In the Galaxy Themes store, you’ll see a list of options: Free, top-selling, Editor’s Pick, and new themes.
Download and apply the Always ON Display theme you like straight from the Galaxy Store. Some themes can be applied to the clock and image themes or used only on the AOD screen.

How to enable Always ON Display on OnePlus phones

The OnePlus Always ON Display feature is only available for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 9 series. To enable Always ON Display on OnePlus:

Navigate to your Settings app on your device and open it.
Tap Display.
Open Ambient Display and enable it.
Open Always ON Ambient Display.
Choose All day.

How to enable Always ON Display on ASUS phones

The Always ON Display feature for ASUS devices is only available for ASUS phones powered by ZenUI, like the ZenFone 8. To enable AOD:

Navigate to your Settings app on your device and open it.
Tap Display.
Open the Always ON Panel.
Toggle the switch at the top to enable the feature.
Select Always ON at the bottom.

How to make Always ON Display brighter

Go to your phone’s Settings.
Scroll to Lock Screen and open it.
Tap on the Always ON Display menu (not the toggle).
In the AOD menu, scroll to the bottom and disable Auto brightness.
You can adjust your AOD brightness manually from here.
On your AOD screen, double-tap on the clock icon to bring up the AOD settings and brightness icons.
Tap the brightness icon to adjust it to your desired level.

Samsung Always on Display supported devices

The Always ON Display feature is available on devices like the Google Pixels 2 to 6 pro, Samsung Galaxy S7 to S20 ultra, Samsung Galaxy A3 to A7, and Samsung Galaxy Notes. Basically, Samsung devices with AMOLED screens and powered by OneUI. In addition, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and P20 Pro, Motorola Moto X, Z, and G, the LG G5 to G7, and V30 to V60 all come with the feature.

John Adebimitan

John follows everything happening in the tech industry, from the latest gadget launches to some of the big-name moves in the industry. He covers opinionated pieces and writes on some of the biggest names in the industry. John is also a freelance writer, so he shares articles on freelancing every now and then. email: john@tekpip.com Learn more about tekpip and the team here on our about us page.