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

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Teases 'A Big Week Ahead' With Announcements Starting Monday

Thursday February 26, 2026 6:06 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday. His post included an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac. Apple is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4, with up to five new products...
iphone fold text

iPhone Fold Crease Measurements Revealed as Device Hits Production

Wednesday February 25, 2026 5:37 am PST by
Apple has submitted production line orders for its upcoming foldable iPhone, effectively confirming that the device will launch this year, claims a Chinese leaker. According to the Weibo account "Fixed Focus Digital," assembly lines recently received the orders from Apple, which has apparently allowed the leaker to learn the crease measurements for the device's 7.8-inch inner display....
macbook air blue

What's Coming in the M5 MacBook Air

Thursday February 26, 2026 3:57 pm PST by
Along with the low-cost MacBook, Apple could introduce a refreshed version of the MacBook Air next week. Most of the focus will be on the new machine, but the MacBook Air is expected to get some useful internal updates. M5 Chip The next-generation MacBook Air will adopt the M5 chip, which Apple already introduced in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models that came out last year. Apple's M5...