To make an iPhone 15 screen turn off right away, press the side button once. To make it turn off on its own when you stop using the phone, open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, tap Auto-Lock, and choose a short length of time.
Applies to: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 26; Apple’s iOS 27 guide lists the same Auto-Lock and Always On Display paths. Checked against Apple Support on October 6, 2026.
What “turning off the screen” means on an iPhone 15
On an iPhone, the screen turns off when the phone locks. Apple describes two ways an iPhone locks: manually, when you press the side button, and automatically, when you don’t interact with it for a certain amount of time. In both cases the display goes dark, the phone goes to sleep to save power, and you need Face ID or your passcode to get back in.
That is different from powering the phone down. A locked iPhone is still on and can still receive calls and notifications. A powered-off iPhone does nothing until you turn it on again. This guide covers the screen. The table below shows which action matches which goal.
| What you want | What to do | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Screen off now | Press the side button once | The iPhone locks and the display turns off |
| Screen off by itself | Set a short Auto-Lock time | The iPhone locks after that much time without use |
| No dimmed Lock Screen on a Pro model | Turn off Always On Display | The display goes fully dark when the iPhone locks |
| Phone completely off | Hold the side button and a volume button, then drag the Power Off slider | The iPhone shuts down until you turn it on again |
- Find the side button. It is the same button you press and hold to turn the iPhone on, and it is separate from the two volume buttons.
- Press the side button once and let go. The display turns off and the iPhone locks.
- To check, press the side button again. You should see the Lock Screen, not the app you were using.
Use a single short press. Holding the side button together with a volume button brings up the power-off sliders instead, which is a different action.
Make the screen turn off automatically with Auto-Lock
Auto-Lock is the timer that locks the iPhone, and turns off the screen, after you stop touching it. A shorter time means the screen spends less time lit when the phone is sitting on a desk.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Display & Brightness.
- Tap Auto-Lock. A list of time lengths appears.
- Choose a length of time. The shortest option turns the screen off soonest.
Apple notes that delaying or preventing Auto-Lock may increase power consumption, so a short time is the better choice for battery life. Apple documents this setting on its Keep the iPhone display on longer page. If you want the opposite result, see our guide on how to keep an iPhone screen on.
Turn off the Always On Display on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
If you own an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max and the screen only dims when you lock it, that is the Always-On display. It keeps a dimmed version of the Lock Screen visible so you can glance at the time, widgets, and notifications. Apple’s list of supported models includes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but not the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus, so skip this section if you have one of those two.
- Open Settings and tap Display & Brightness.
- Tap Always On Display.
- Turn off Always On Display. From now on the display goes fully dark when the iPhone locks.
If you would rather keep the feature but make it less distracting, the same screen has Show Wallpaper and Show Notifications switches that you can turn off separately.
Even with Always On Display turned on, Apple says the display turns off by itself in several situations: when the iPhone is face down, when the display is obstructed (in a pocket or bag, for example), when it is not near a paired Apple Watch, during a CarPlay session, while Continuity Camera is in use, when Low Power Mode is on, when the Sleep Focus is on, and at your usual bedtime. Placing a Pro model face down is therefore a quick way to get a dark screen without changing any settings.
Stop the screen from turning itself back on
Sometimes the screen does turn off, but it lights up again a moment later. Apple lists three ways an iPhone wakes: pressing the side button, raising the iPhone, and tapping the screen. The last two can happen by accident when you pick up the phone or it brushes against something.
- Raise to Wake: go to Settings > Display & Brightness and turn off Raise to Wake. The screen then stays dark when you lift the phone.
- Tap to Wake: go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn off Tap to Wake. Touches on the dark screen no longer wake it.
With both turned off, the side button is the way to wake the iPhone. Incoming calls and notifications can still light the screen.
If the side button is hard to press or is not working, AssistiveTouch gives you an on-screen button that can stand in for physical buttons. Apple lists locking the screen among the things it can do.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.
- Turn on AssistiveTouch. A button appears on the screen. You can drag it to any edge, and it stays there until you move it.
- Tap the button once to open the AssistiveTouch menu, then tap Device.
- Tap the option that locks the screen. The display turns off, just as it does with the side button.
To make this faster, stay on the AssistiveTouch settings screen and look under the Custom Actions heading. Choose Single-Tap, Double-Tap, or Long Press, then pick the lock action from the list. After that, the gesture you chose locks the phone without opening the menu. Apple explains the feature in Use AssistiveTouch on your iPhone.
You can also ask Siri to turn on AssistiveTouch. A setting of Auto-Lock at its shortest time is a good backup too, because it needs no button at all.
How to confirm it worked, and how to undo it
- Side button: the screen is dark, and pressing the side button shows the Lock Screen.
- Auto-Lock: unlock the iPhone, open the Home Screen, set the phone down, and do not touch it. The screen should turn off after roughly the time you chose.
- Always On Display: lock the iPhone and look at it. A fully black screen means the feature is off.
Every change in this guide is a switch or a list choice, so undoing it means going back to the same screen. Pick a longer time under Auto-Lock, or turn Always On Display, Raise to Wake, Tap to Wake, or AssistiveTouch back on. Nothing here erases data.
Troubleshooting: the iPhone 15 screen won’t turn off
The screen stays on much longer than expected
Open Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and check which time is selected. If the list is set so the phone never locks, the screen stays on until you press the side button. Also note that some apps, such as video players and navigation apps, keep the display awake while they are in use. Go to the Home Screen and test again.
The screen stays bright while you are looking at it
This is by design. With Attention Aware Features on, Apple says the display won’t dim until you stop paying attention to the device. To change it, open Settings, tap Face ID & Passcode, and turn off Attention Aware Features. Apple describes the behavior on its Attention Aware features page.
You can’t choose a different Auto-Lock time
Low Power Mode sets Auto-Lock to 30 seconds. If you want a different time, turn off Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery first (on some models you tap Power Mode there to find the switch). Low Power Mode also turns itself off when the iPhone charges to 80% or higher. On an iPhone that belongs to a workplace or school, the organization may limit this setting, and your IT administrator is the person to ask.
The screen shows a clock or photos while charging
That is StandBy, which starts when the iPhone is connected to a charger and set down on its side. Go to Settings > StandBy > Display and choose Automatically or After 20 Seconds instead of Never. You can also turn StandBy off on the StandBy settings screen, or simply charge the phone lying flat.
The screen stays on in one app that you locked the phone to
Guided Access, the feature that locks an iPhone to a single app, has its own timer. Check Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > Display Auto-Lock.
The screen is frozen and the side button does nothing
If the iPhone does not respond at all, Apple’s force restart steps for Face ID models are: press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button, then press and hold the side button, and release it when the Apple logo appears. If the side button itself seems to be broken, use AssistiveTouch as described above and contact Apple Support about a repair.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn off the iPhone 15 screen without locking the phone?
Not with the side button or Auto-Lock. Apple treats both as locking the iPhone, and the display turns off as part of that. With Face ID set up, getting back in takes only a glance and a swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Is turning off the screen the same as turning off the iPhone?
No. A locked iPhone with a dark screen is still on. To shut the phone down, press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider, or go to Settings > General > Shut Down.
Is there a button in Control Center that turns off the screen?
Apple’s guide does not describe one. Control Center has a Power button in the top-right corner, but touching and holding it brings up the slider that shuts the iPhone down, which is not the same as locking the screen. For locking, use the side button, Auto-Lock, or AssistiveTouch.
Does a shorter Auto-Lock time save battery?
It helps. Apple states that delaying or preventing Auto-Lock may increase power consumption, so a shorter time keeps the display lit for less of the day. Brightness matters as well, and our guide on how to turn off Auto-Brightness on an iPhone 15 explains that setting.
Why is my Auto-Lock set to 30 seconds?
Low Power Mode is probably on. Apple lists setting Auto-Lock to 30 seconds as one of the things Low Power Mode does. Turn Low Power Mode off, or charge to 80% or higher, and you can pick a different time.
Does the iPhone 15 have an Always-On display?
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max do. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are not on Apple’s list of models with the feature, so their screens go fully dark whenever the phone locks.
How do I wake the screen again?
Press the side button, raise the iPhone, or tap the screen. If you turned off Raise to Wake and Tap to Wake, use the side button. Apple covers all three on its Wake, unlock, and lock iPhone page.
For most people, the best setup is a short Auto-Lock time plus a habit of pressing the side button before putting the phone away. Set Auto-Lock now, then lock the phone once to confirm the screen goes dark.
Related: how to stop your iPhone screen from turning off.
Related: how to turn off an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.