Screen timeout prevents your phone’s screen from remaining on when you’re not using your device. However, there are times when you don’t want it to do this. Fortunately, you can disable it on your Android phone or tablet.
The screen timeout simply determines how long the screen will stay on after you’re done using it. This is usually 30 seconds to 1 minute, by default. If you’re using your phone for something that doesn’t require touching the display, you might find the short screen timeout annoying.
On Android devices, you can easily change the screen timeout length. The process slightly varies depending on which phone you have, as each manufacturer changes the Android user interface. Still, it usually only requires a few steps.
How to Increase the Screen Timeout Length
Before we talk about the methods you can use to prevent the screen from turning off, it should be mentioned that most Android phones can’t do this natively. On the majority of Android devices, you can only set the screen timeout to a longer time limit, such as 10 or 30 minutes. In most situations, though, this is good enough.
Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel. Tap the Gear icon to open the “Settings” menu. Depending on which device you have, you might need to swipe down a second time to reveal the Gear icon.
Tap “Display” in the “Settings” menu.
This is where things can really start to vary by device. Some phones, like the Google Pixel, require that you expand the “Advanced” section in the “Display” settings.
Other phones list “Screen Timeout” under the main “Display” settings.
Tap “Screen Timeout” to open the time options.
Things can vary by device here, as well. Almost all Android devices have 15 and 30 seconds, or 1, 2, 5, and 10 minutes as an option. However, some phones will have an additional 30-minute choice. Select the longest one available on your phone.
Repeat these steps any time you want to adjust the Screen Timeout length.
How to Stop the Screen From Turning Off Entirely
Android devices might not be able to prevent the screen from turning off natively, but there are plenty of apps in the Google Play Store that can do it. One of these is “Caffeine.” Here’s how to set it up and use it.
Download Caffeine – Keep Screen On from the Google Play Store on your Android device.
The app works via a “Quick Settings” toggle, so first, swipe down from the top of the screen twice to expand the full “Quick Settings” panel.
You should see a Pencil icon somewhere on the panel; tap it to edit the “Quick Settings” toggles.
On some Android devices, like Samsung phones and tablets, you have to tap the Three-dot icon, and then choose “Quick Panel Layout” to edit the Quick Settings panel.
Look for a toggle with a Coffee Mug icon.
Next, move the “Caffeine” toggle to the main “Quick Settings” panel. Tap and hold it to drag it into position. On Samsung phones, you’ll drag the toggle from the top of the screen to the bottom. On Google Pixel and other phones, you’ll drag it from the bottom to the top.
When the toggle is where you want it, tap the Back arrow or Checkmark icon to save.
Now, you can actually use the app. Whenever you want to change the screen timeout length, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel and “Quick Settings.”
Tap the Coffee Mug icon in “Quick Settings.” By default, the screen timeout will be changed to “Infinite,” and the screen will not turn off.
Tap the Coffee Mug icon again to return to your normal screen timeout length.
Caffeine has a number of other customization options; just open the app to adjust these to your liking.
