How to Get a Countdown Screensaver on iPhone

Updated November 4, 2026 · 5 min read

The iPhone has no screensaver setting. The closest thing is StandBy: when your iPhone is charging, locked and on its side, it fills the screen with a clock, photos or widgets, big enough to read from across the room. Put a countdown widget there and a bedside or desk iPhone becomes a countdown display.

Step 1: Turn on StandBy

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap StandBy and make sure StandBy is on.

Step 2: Start StandBy

On the Lock Screen, connect your iPhone to a charger and set it down on its side, keeping it still. Swipe left or right to move between widgets, photos and clocks, and swipe up or down to change the style of each.

Step 3: Create the countdown

In Left, open Ahead and tap Add a date ahead. Name the date, set Starts and, for something that lasts, Until. Use Show as... to count in hours, days, weeks, months or years, and add a symbol, a color or a photo.

Step 4: Add the countdown to StandBy

1. In StandBy's widgets view, touch and hold one of the two widget stacks. Unlock with Face ID if your iPhone asks.
2. Tap +, search for Left and choose Ahead, Ahead Bars or Ahead Circle.
3. Tap Add Widget, then Done.

Each side of the widgets view is a stack, so you can swipe up or down to switch between a countdown and other widgets. The StandBy widget guide has the full steps.

Keep the screen on

In Settings > StandBy, tap Display to choose when the screen turns off: Automatically, After 20 Seconds or Never. On iPhone models with an Always-On display, StandBy stays visible; on other models, tap the screen or nudge the table to wake it. Turn on Night Mode and, in low light, StandBy dims and turns red so it won't keep you awake.

The final hours: Live Activities

StandBy can also show Live Activities full screen. In your Ahead date, turn on Get the final countdown, and in the last 4 hours a live countdown appears on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, ready for StandBy when you put the iPhone on its charger.

What else to show

• The year: the Year widget shows the days left in the year, or the percentage left.
• The day: the Day widget shows the hours left in the day.
• Your life: the Life widget shows your life as a grid, with the past dimmed.
• A clock: Left's analog and digital clock widgets next to a countdown make a calm bedside display.

Without StandBy

If your iPhone isn't on a charger, the Lock Screen does the same job. Add an Ahead widget below the clock, or let Left Wallpaper draw a countdown or the year as a Lock Screen wallpaper that updates itself. For more ways to see a date, read how to put a countdown on your Home Screen.

Left is free to download, with Left Premium for more.

Get the countdown widget

See more examples on the Left countdown widget page.

Questions

Does the iPhone have a screensaver?

Not as a setting. StandBy is the closest thing: a charging iPhone on its side shows a full-screen clock, photos or widgets.

How do I put a countdown on StandBy?

Turn on StandBy in Settings, put your iPhone on a charger on its side, then touch and hold a widget stack, tap + and add a countdown widget such as Left's Ahead.

Why does StandBy turn off?

Check Settings > StandBy > Display, where you can choose Automatically, After 20 Seconds or Never. Without an Always-On display, tap the screen or nudge the table to wake it.

Can StandBy show a countdown at night?

Yes. With Night Mode on, StandBy dims and shows everything in red in low light, including your countdown widget.