StandBy is a feature that has been available on iPhones since 2023, but with iPhone Duo, Apple has upgraded it to become a whole new way to access glanceable information not just when charging, but whenever it's not being used.
Since StandBy was added to the iOS 17 feature list at WWDC in June of 2023, it's been limited in a couple of key ways. The iPhone Duo addresses both.
The first limitation is that StandBy only works when an iPhone is being charged, whether plugged into a cable or attached to a MagSafe charger. The other is that iPhones have relatively small displays, so there's only so much room for information.
But the iPhone Duo doesn't need to be charging, and its large 7.6-inch display has plenty of space to spare. That means it's the perfect device for StandBy.
Here, we're going to get into what StandBy is, how it works on the iPhone Duo, and why you should give it a try. Then we'll dive into some of the apps whose StandBy widgets you should check out.
StandBy, a desk and bedtime display
StandBy is a feature that takes an otherwise dormant iPhone and turns it into a smart display of sorts. It can display the time, the date, and all kinds of other information that's just waiting to be glanced at rather than interacted with.
That's why StandBy is especially useful on a desk while you work, or on a table while you sleep. Whether it's your calendar at the office or a big-screen clock and your alarm overnight, StandBy can display some incredibly helpful information.
At night, when the iPhone's light sensor detects it's dark, StandBy enables a low-light Night Mode. Everything turns red to not disrupt your sleep, but the same information remains available. You can finally ditch that old alarm clock.
StandBy can also be used to turn an unused iPhone into a digital photo frame of sorts. And while widgets are glanceable, you can still tap them to interact with them or open their app.
But that's how StandBy works on any compatible iPhone. Things get much more interesting with an iPhone Duo.
StandBy but better
With no need for the iPhone Duo to be charging, StandBy is much easier to take advantage of. And that's good news, because you'll want to use it much more than you did with your old iPhone.
Split View calendar and clock in StandBy mode is super useful
While StandBy can still be used when the iPhone Duo is closed, it can also be activated in two new ways. Place the iPhone Duo into tent mode, and its outer display lights up in StandBy mode automatically.
Similarly, open the iPhone Duo and stand it up, and a new, much larger StandBy mode reveals itself. This works whether you're using a case with a kickstand or the iPhone Duo's book mode to prop it up.
There are options to govern how all of this works, and you can disable the whole StandBy feature, or just tent mode and upright mode independently. You can also require the iPhone Duo to be charging and control if and when the display turns itself off, great for when it isn't charging at the time.
As you might expect, you'll get a different StandBy view and different options depending on which display is being used.
Tent mode
In tent mode, the iPhone Duo uses its outer display for StandBy. It offers a range of styles, colors, and content in what Apple calls "faces," much like Apple Watch and HomeView faces. Think of them as saved views.
iPhone Duo in StandBy mode features a sleek, bespoke calendar view
Swiping left or right cycles through the available faces. For faces with widgets, swiping up and down on a widget cycles through all of those that have been configured for that face.
By default, there are a handful of faces preconfigured right out of the box:
- Analog clock: A clock with customizable colors and complications
- Digital clock: A digital clock, again with customizable colors and complications
- Photos: A curated photo collection with options for albums, pets, and more.
- Weather: A weather face that can be customized to show different information and locations.
- Calendar: A full-screen calendar view with the date and time.
- Modular: Similar to the Apple Watch face of the same name, this face can be customized to show different app widgets.
You can also add new faces based on those preinstalled options. This allows you to have different Modular faces with different widgets, for example.
Tent mode is great, and it's generally how you'll use StandBy overnight. But the inner display is where StandBy shines.
Book mode
StandBy makes full use of the inner display when the iPhone Duo is vertical. It can be stood up in book mode or opened flat while using a kickstand; both will work.
The inner display is split down the middle, providing two columns that can be configured individually. But there are no preset faces like Calendar and Weather, so swiping left and right does nothing.
Instead, you're given free rein over how to set up your StandBy view, adding widgets as you please. But there's one thing to consider that can be considered either a limitation or a feature.
In book mode, the left side of the display has space for two small widgets at the top and one larger widget at the bottom. The right side houses one single large widget that fills that side of the display. This layout cannot be changed.
That doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of ways to make book mode StandBy look great, because there are. And there is no shortage of options when it comes to choosing the right widget for your StandBy face.
Book mode with three widgets on the left, and one large widget on the right looks great
Apps and their widgets
Like StandBy on other iPhones, the iPhone Duo has an array of Apple-designed widgets for you to choose from. They range from calendar views to world clocks to photo frames and many other in-between.
But StandBy also surfaces widgets from your installed apps, much like those that can be placed on the iPhone's home screen. It's here, paired with book mode, that the true customizability of StandBy on iPhone Duo can be found.
The larger display afforded by book mode means you have space for more widgets of varying sizes. And remember, you can also stack widgets on top of one another with a vertical swipe cycling through that stack.
How you configure your favorite StandBy setup will depend on you and your needs. It's no good having a big, interactive calendar beside your bed while you sleep, for example.
But if you're looking for a way to display useful, glanceable data, there are some great options that hook into the third-party apps you use every day. We're going to highlight just a few here, but be sure to check your own favorite apps for StandBy widgets, too.
- Fantastical: Its large calendar view is brilliant as a half-screen widget on the right side of the iPhone Duo. [Download]
- CARROT Weather: The iPhone Duo has a built-in weather app, but this one adds high-information widgets, including live radar maps. [Download]
- Timery: Great, quick access to time tracking options, including starting new timers. [Download]
- Things: Visibility and instant checking off of all of your most important tasks. [Download]
- Overcast: See the artwork for the currently playing podcast as well as playback controls. [Download]
- Reddit: See popular photos from across Reddit, including cat pics. [Reddit]
- Batteries: It's a built-in widget, but a glanceable view of your devices' batteries is so great that it still deserves to be on this list.
Using your iPhone even when you aren't
Many of us are trying to use our iPhones less, but that doesn't mean that it can't still be useful. StandBy turns an idle iPhone into something a way to see useful information without ever having to touch it.
With iPhone Duo, StandBy is a whole different beast. Sure, some of its new features are coming to other iPhones with iOS 27.3, but it still has a huge advantage.
The iPhone Duo's big inner display makes it a great smart display, with greater data density than any other iPhone. And that alone makes it the perfect StandBy device.
