iOS 17: How to Customize the Photos Screen in StandBy Mode - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 17: How to Customize the Photos Screen in StandBy Mode

by

StandBy is a Lock Screen mode that activates when an ‌iPhone‌ is plugged into a charger and positioned in a horizontal (or landscape) orientation. It consists of three different screens, one of which is the fullscreen photos view. Keep reading to learn how you can customize it.


StandBy's second screen shows content from your Photo Library, with the current time overlaid in the top right corner. The photos screen is also interactive and customizable, but this requires your ‌iPhone‌ to be unlocked so no one can see your images without your permission.

Once you've done that, you can see the date and location of the photo if you tap, which will also reveal a View in Photos button that when pressed takes you to the place in your Photo Library where the picture is located.

standby
You can swipe up and down to change between themes like Favorites, Nature, Pets, Cities, and People. You can also hide any themes that you don't like, and add additional albums. The steps below show you how it's done.

  1. With your iPhone unlocked, charging, and in a horizontal position, swipe left on the first StandBy mode screen.
  2. Press and hold the photo displayed on the screen.
  3. You can swipe up and down to view the different themes, and tap the eye icon in the top-left corner of each photo collection to include or exclude it from StandBy mode (when excluded, the eye icon will have a line through it and the photo will dim).
  4. To add a specific album to the collection, tap the + button in the top-left corner of the screen, then tap the album you want to include.
  5. Tap Done if you're happy, or tap the minus button on the album you just added to remove it.

standby

You can also customize the widgets screen in StandBy mode. Check out our dedicated guide for more help.

Popular Stories

Waze logo

5 New Waze Features Rolling Out Now: Here Are All the Details

Monday July 13, 2026 3:42 am PDT by
Google today announced that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-powered personalization enhancements for Conversational Reporting. Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Saying something like "The road is closed here"...
apple silicon 1 feature

Apple Silicon is Taking an Unexpected Turn

Friday July 10, 2026 7:24 am PDT by
Ever since the Mac switched from Intel processors to Apple silicon starting in 2020, each generation of M-series chips has included higher-end Pro and Max variants. If a recent report proves to be accurate, though, that streak will be coming to an end. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will be releasing a regular M6 chip, but it has no plans to offer higher-end M6 Pro and M6 Max...
Mac Pro Feature Teal

Apple's M7 Ultra Chip Designed to Match a 2019 Mac Pro Feat

Sunday July 12, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple's M7 Ultra chip coming in 2028 is designed to support up to 1.5TB of unified memory, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, whether such a configuration is offered may depend on the state of the ongoing memory chip shortage. In 2019, Apple released an Intel-based Mac Pro with up to 1.5TB RAM....