Always On Display on mobile: reasons to activate it

In recent times, we have witnessed those Android news that came as almost a ‘curiosity’ or functions that hardly mattered for many users who, finally, have remained as fundamental options. We refer to tools such as game modes, the famous dark mode and of course, Always On Display.

This last feature is increasingly present in all types of smartphones, but it is convenient to know it in depth to be clear about its advantages and disadvantages. Although the reality is that, the manufacturers of smartphones have lagged far behind in the development of the efficiency and capacity of the batteries, at the same time that our phone was needing more and more energy.

Always On Display on mobile: reasons to activate it

For this reason and to avoid sacrificing sophisticated designs, parallel technologies have been strongly developed. Now the energy efficiency of the processors, the display, the software is enhanced and of course, functions such as the always-on screen are added, which mix the aesthetic section with energy saving.

What is it for

The Always On Display (AOD or always-on screen ) function is a tool that allows users to customize the lock panel of their mobile to show the time, date, battery status, notifications and more while the display it is off. The objective of this is to reduce energy consumption by not having to turn on the panel so many times, which is what really consumes more energy, as it is done tens or hundreds of times a day.

Its use can be more or less effective, depending on the terminal in which it is activated. This function was initially reserved for terminals with an AMOLED panel, which only turns on the necessary pixels on the screen , thus increasing the aforementioned saving and making sense of this mode. Even so, and in both cases, there are certain advantages and disadvantages of activating the AOD on our mobile.

ALWAYS ON DISPLAY

How active

In general, we should find this tool in Settings > Screen> Lock Screen > Always On Display . Once inside, we only have to press the switch that is inside this section to activate it on the phone.

So, from that moment on, we will have it enabled. Although, the most interesting part, without a doubt, will be the customization that our smartphone can offer us as we will see below. However, this element will depend fundamentally on the customization layer used by the manufacturer of your device.

Your customization

As we said, some phone brands will give us more options than others. Although, normally, they should let us change, for example, the style of the clock that we want to be shown on the always active display, as well as the colors it has. It is also common for brands that have Android to allow us to choose between different styles and colors .

Some layers of software will even allow us to modify different settings of the interface itself. Some, like EMUI, will even allow us to put our own images and GIFS as the background of the always-on screen. In addition, they will offer us the option to choose those shortcuts or useful information that we want to appear on the terminal without having to unlock it. So, with these simple steps, we will have customized the appearance of the Android device to our liking.

Always On Display en móviles

Advantages when using it

Let’s go first with the different benefits that the always active panel function brings to our phones with AMOLED display. To begin with, we will be able to see the information we have received at a glance . Without a doubt it is its main advantage. And it is that, it allows us at a single glance and without turning on the screen, that we can check the time, the battery level or the pending notifications.

And not only this, but we will also see a secondary advantage in battery consumption. However, it is relative and can also be found to be a disadvantage for many other users as we will see later. However, the AOD will save battery for users who turn on the screen too many times a day, compensating for the information that the mode offers, compared to the energy that the display uses when turning on the mobile and accessing the same information.

In addition, there are certain times when the Always On Display can be deactivated by itself, such as when the terminal is in the pocket or turned over, that is, it has an automatic deactivation (or at least in most cases). In addition, the system can also disable this function when the battery is low.

always on display emui

Their problems

Now is the time to go to the different problems or inconveniences that we find when using this tool for the AMOLED display of our Android phone. The first of these will be the battery consumption. Ironically, ODA can also backfire.

The function will consume more energy in the mobile phones of those users who do not turn on the screen too many times a day for the classic queries of looking at the time or pending notifications. If that is your case, this function will take a few precious milliamps that would not go away with the panel completely off.

Always On Display

The second downside is privacy . Depending on the configuration, it can expose sensitive information when notifications or other types of alerts arrive on our device. This is continuously displayed on the screen within easy reach of anyone.

Lastly, it is getting more and more sophisticated. This, far from being an advantage, the truth is that it tarnishes the essence of the Always On Display . As the different layers of the manufacturers go around the function, it fills with colors, animations and more elements, which of course, will consume more and more power from the phones.

So… is it worth it?

The truth is that the idea is really good, as long as the user makes a very intensive use of the queries on the display so that the savings make sense.

However, as we have been telling you, its modernization with new functions, colors or animations, can jeopardize its essence and that the battery consumption skyrockets . In addition, we have to take into account that its activation still makes sense in OLED and AMOLED panels, while other screen technologies will not take advantage of the function, offering a ‘false’ sense of savings.

These negative points aside. Yes, it will be very useful for all those people who just turn on the touch panel of their phones to check the time, messages or other notifications that they receive throughout the day. Everything will depend on the use we make of the smartphone. So we recommend you try it for a few days and draw your own conclusions.