It’s taken me a while, but I recently had the opportunity to try out a feature in iOS 17 that I had until now forgotten even existed. I’m talking about StandBy mode and I feel a bit silly for passing it by for so long as it’s really good.
Why haven’t I used it before? Turns out I just needed the right hardware.
What is Standby mode?
If, like me, you’ve forgotten about StandBy mode, here’s a quick reminder of what it is. Introduced with iOS 17 in September 2023 after being previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023, StandBy turns your iPhone into a primary smart display when it’s charged. Think of it as a simpler version of the Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show. It displays the time, photos or various gadgets in landscape orientation, so it is suitable for the bedside table or office desk. It can also be enlarged using certain applications.
Like many of the best iPhone and Apple Watch features, it activates automatically when conditions are right. In this case, the phone should be placed on a charging stand so that it is angled, upright and in landscape, not lying flat on a surface. Provided the phone is locked, standby mode is activated immediately, and if it’s in a dark environment, the display glows red, just like the special night mode on the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s Wayfinder and Modular Ultra faces.
Until recently, I charged my iPhone overnight using the official MagSafe charging pad, which is small and convenient. I’ve also been using the Google Nest Hub on my nightstand for smart home and assistant duties.
However, as I move from the Google Smart Home to the Amazon Smart Home, the Hub has become redundant. Then came the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station — a portable MagSafe charger for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. And with it, my first experience with StandBy mode.
Anker’s charging dock
I’ve used various iPhone and Apple Watch docks over the years, but many of them are quite large, or in some cases the charging unit or system generates unwanted noise from the electrical flow or fan. These irritations soon stopped me from using them. The Anker MagGo wireless charging station is very compact and so far completely silent, making it perfect for a small bedside table.
It charges the iPhone using MagSafe-compatible Qi2 technology at 15 watts, and the magnets are strong enough to support the iPhone 15 Pro Max in a Casetify case. A 5W charging pad behind the corner MagSafe section charges your AirPods, and on the back there’s a foldable 5W charging pad for the Apple Watch. This means the puck shouldn’t be on display if you don’t own an Apple Watch, but it’s there if you ever decide to get one.
When folded, Anker’s charging station is barely bigger than the palm of my hand (the company compares its size to a pack of playing cards) and is very light, so it’s also perfect for travel. While it’s not the most attractive charging dock I’ve seen or used, the compact, lightweight, multi-functional design keeps it out of the way without compromising on features. I don’t really need my charging dock to be a design feature in a room — I just want it to charge my phone and smartwatch.
What is it like to use standby mode
Anker’s charging dock put me into StandBy mode. It was also a happy coincidence since StandBy is turned on by default in iOS, so it sprung to life after my docked phone locked up. I don’t need notifications or an overnight view of my calendar, so I stuck with the card style option that takes up the entire screen. It’s bright enough in night mode to see the time, but not so bright that it lights up the entire room with a ghostly red light.
But the biggest change for me was ditching my Nest Hub and relying on Siri to do all the extra smart home and assistant functions I might need. Siri happily turns the lights on and off and interacts with my smart thermostat. Most of the time that’s all I want, but sometimes I want to check the weather too, and that happily helps. I noticed how much Siri has improved when I reviewed the iPhone 15 Plus, and it continues to listen and understand commands effectively.
I love that the combination of Siri, Anker’s charging dock, and StandBy mode negates the need for a dedicated smart speaker or display in the bedroom. I was considering the Amazon Echo Pop rather than the Nest Hub, but the iPhone and Siri do pretty much the same tasks. Since I charge my iPhone at night anyway, this is an elegant, simple solution, and one less device always drawing power can only be a good thing.
Getting the right doc
The
Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station
was my introduction to StandBy mode, but it’s not the only option if you want to try it out. We have a selection of different docking stations and also enjoyed using Belkin’s unusual Auto-Tracking Stand Pro recently, along with Nomad’s Stand One Max. Provided the charging dock works with MagSafe charging and holds the phone in an upright landscape orientation, StandBy mode will work.
If you like the idea of the foldable, travel-friendly MagGo wireless charging station, it costs $110 and comes with the dock itself, a USB-C cable with an angled connector on one end, and a 40W wall charger – making it good value overall. It works with every iPhone model released after the iPhone 13, all AirPods with wireless charging cases, and all Apple Watch models since the first. Standby mode requires iOS 17.
Yes, it took me many months to try StandBy mode, but it came at the right time, just as I was reorganizing my smart home system. And it took the right equipment to remind me that it existed. If, like me, you’ve forgotten about StandBy mode, give it a try soon, as you might find it just as useful.
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