At all times on show, or AOD, has been with us now for over ten years, and it is one thing I all the time flip off as a result of I frankly assume it is one of the vital wasteful and pointless options of recent telephones (although you’ll be able to customise it with themes). There is a 10-15% hit to battery life whereas operating AOD, regardless of the telephone (and on Samsung telephones, it is a part of a set of options you do not want), however what’s even worse is that AOD is a pointless, distracting characteristic: why should your telephone display be on all time to persistently present you the clock and some notification icons? If in case you have a smartwatch, AOD is very redundant since you’ll be able to see this identical information if you happen to simply look at your wrist.
Not solely that, however we dwell in an period of telephone experiences which can be designed to maintain you engaged continually with limitless content material feeds and frequent nudges and notifications from each app you could have, inviting you to re-engage and hold utilizing your telephone. AOD makes this all worse and invitations you to make use of your telephone much more (and I do not learn about you, however for sanity I wish to have a “pull” relationship with my notifications).
AOD drains battery
Do you actually wish to kill the 10-15% battery simply to all the time see the time?
Credit score: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
I’ve used AOD on quite a few Android telephones (together with gadgets from Samsung, OnePlus, Google, and Huawei) in addition to the newest iPhones. And one factor is for sure: conserving your telephone’s show on on a regular basis, even on telephones with an AMOLED display (the place solely illuminated pixels require energy), comes at a price of roughly 10-15% much less battery per day.
That is proper: if you happen to normally finish the day with a 30% battery, turning on AOD will typically imply you are limping to the charger with 15–20% battery by the point you plug in. Your mileage could differ and a few gadgets, like these from Samsung, are a bit higher as a result of they’ve an LTPO show that may go all the way in which right down to a 1Hz refresh fee, which helps, however there’s nonetheless a major battery tax with AOD on even essentially the most superior, power-efficient shows.
AOD is a distraction
You are paying an consideration tax
Credit score: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
We have normalized the concept that our screens ought to by no means be off. And that is an issue. Most of us spend hours a day on our telephones, which is okay, it is 2026, however you do not want yet one more on-ramp to obsessively use your telephone by having the show all the time illuminated and inspiring you to select it up 24 hours a day.
If you should examine the time — simply double-tap the display to point out your lock display! If you should examine for notifications, simply raise your telephone to wake it to see your record of notifications. In case you do not wish to miss a textual content out of your associate or your mom, or your little one, you’ll be able to tweak notification settings to audibly provide you with a warning to sure notifications so that you needn’t continually examine your telephone. Each app on Android has its personal notification settings if you happen to go to Settings -> Notifications -> App Notifications.
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Samsung’s Now Bar is helpful
And might be featured on the AOD
Credit score: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
I owe Samsung an honorable point out right here due to the Now Bar, launched in early 2025 beginning with One UI 7. This helpful characteristic is designed to supply real-time glanceable information, type of like Apple’s Dynamic Island, however the cool half is that Samsung enables you to present the Now Bar in your AOD.
This may present you real-time information like sports activities scores, ridesharing information, and media controls (which you can’t management through AOD because it’s read-only), timer countdown and upcoming alarms, and even well being monitoring information from Samsung Well being. I admit, that is helpful, and the one justification I can consider for conserving AOD turned on, however solely on Samsung telephones which have the Now Bar.
We have normalized the concept that our screens ought to by no means be off. And that is an issue
AOD is pointless most often
Simply flip it off, you do not want it and it kills battery
Credit score: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
That is maybe my most urgent level: AOD is pointless most often, and is redundant along with your smartwatch, and even simply your lock display (which you’ll be able to set off immediately with both a double-tap-wake, or by simply selecting up the telephone to set off the “raise to wake” characteristic). There’s actually no sensible purpose you should see the standing of your notifications always.
Some AODs, just like the one on iPhone and Pixel, even show a dimmed model of your wallpaper, which to me is madness as a result of it compounds the battery life challenge by illuminating thousands and thousands of pixels as a substitute of simply exhibiting you the time: why do you should see your wallpaper 24 hours a day? You do not, except you do not care about pointlessly utilizing battery simply so you’ll be able to continually see your wallpaper. So save battery and protect your well-being by turning off AOD as a result of it is pointless most often and is likely to be detrimental to your sanity.
