One of the best new features is StandBy mode

apple’The major update to iOS 17 for the iPhone will be released this fall. I’ve been testing the beta for the past few weeks, and while there’s no shortage of new features, my favorite is “StandBy.” It turns your iPhone into a bedside clock that you can glance at, though it’s much better than a traditional alarm clock.

It requires a MagSafe-equipped phone, which means you need an iPhone 12 or later.

Standby mode can do all sorts of things. For example, you can get out of bed and swipe to see upcoming calendar events, swipe to see the weather for the day or check notifications at a glance. Or, if you’re a traditionalist, you can place it on your bedside table to display a variety of clock faces.

It also works great on your desk. Users can set Standby Mode to display a rotating array of photos from an image gallery, much like Amazon or Google’s smart home hub devices. Whether your phone is on your nightstand or on your desk, you can always say, “Siri, how long will it take me to get to work?” or, “Siri, turn off the bedroom lights and play Miles Davis music.”

You also don’t have to worry about a bright screen keeping you from falling asleep. When you turn off the lights, your iPhone automatically dims the screen or turns off the display. Apple borrowed a feature from the Apple Watch Ultra: There’s a special night mode that changes the clock, calendar, and text to red to reduce eye strain.

You can also turn on notifications that show app details. In the example above, UPS notifies me that my gardening gloves are likely to arrive around noon.

Standby mode works best on the iPhone 14 Pro because it has an always-on display. If you have a different model, the screen turns off, but can be quickly turned back on with a single tap.

If you’re interested in using this feature (it’s rolling out to everyone this fall), pro tip: Invest in a MagSafe charger stand so your iPhone can sit next to your bed while charging.i use something Similar to this $40 Anker standwhile charging your AirPods.

You can wait until iOS 17 rolls out to everyone, or, if you’re willing to deal with some system bugs now, you can Try it out in the iOS 17 public beta. Once installed, just:

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