The Always On Display is reserved for Apple’s Pro iPhones, keeping the time and widgets faintly visible around the clock. But you don’t need Pro hardware — or the battery drain — to get a similar effect. A built-in iOS 16 feature called Dim Lock Screen can give any iPhone a dark, subdued lock screen in about a minute.
The trick runs through Focus mode. When a Focus with Dim Lock Screen switched on is active, iOS darkens your wallpaper and dims the lock-screen elements. Pair that with a black wallpaper and the result looks strikingly close to an always-on display. Here’s how to set it up.
How the dark lock screen trick works
Apple introduced the Dim Lock Screen toggle in iOS 16 as part of Focus. It was designed with the iPhone 14 Pro’s Always On Display in mind, but the dimming itself works on every iPhone running iOS 16 or later — no Pro model required. 9to5Mac’s walkthrough of the black-and-white always-on look demonstrates the same setting. While the linked Focus is active, your lock screen stays dark; switch the Focus off and everything returns to normal.
Get a dark lock screen step by step
- Open Settings → Focus. Tap the + button to create a new Focus, or reuse the built-in Sleep Focus if you mainly want the dark look overnight.
- Open the Focus’s screen settings. In the Focus setup, go to Customize Screens and find the Lock Screen section.
- Turn on “Dim Lock Screen”. This is the key toggle — it darkens the wallpaper and dims the lock screen whenever this Focus is active.
- Finish the effect. Choose a dark or pure-black wallpaper for that lock screen, and switch off Raise to Wake in Settings → Display & Brightness so lifting the phone doesn’t flood the screen with light.
- Activate the Focus whenever you want the look. Turn it on manually from Control Center, or add a schedule — every evening, for example — so it engages on its own. No Always On Display hardware needed.
Prefer to see the toggle in action? This short video on the Dim Lock Screen setting shows exactly where it lives in Settings.
If it still doesn’t work
- Confirm you’re on iOS 16 or later in Settings → General → About — the toggle doesn’t exist on older versions.
- Make sure the Focus is actually active. Dim Lock Screen only applies while its Focus is switched on.
- If the screen still looks bright, your wallpaper is probably too light — pick a black or very dark one.
- Disable Raise to Wake, or every lift of the phone will override the dimmed look.
Frequently asked questions
Does this use extra battery like a real Always On Display?
No. A genuine Always On Display keeps pixels lit all day. This trick only dims the lock screen while the phone is awake — once the display sleeps, it sleeps completely, so the battery cost is negligible.
Can the dark lock screen turn on automatically?
Yes. Every Focus supports schedules: open Settings → Focus, choose your Focus, and add a time-based, location-based, or app-based automation. An evening schedule is the most popular setup. And if you enjoy restyling the lock screen, try our guides to the Liquid Glass lock screen clock in iOS 26 and moving lock screen widgets down in iOS 26.
Conclusion
You don’t need a Pro iPhone to enjoy a dark, glanceable lock screen. The Dim Lock Screen toggle plus a black wallpaper delivers most of the always-on aesthetic on any iPhone with iOS 16 or newer — in about a minute. If the glossy new iOS 26 look isn’t your thing either, here’s how to turn off the Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26.
