“Standby: Turn Display Off” = “Never” Doesn’t Work

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Magsafe case

Magsafe charger

iOS 18.2

Settings:

Standby -> Display -> “TURN DISPLAY OFF” = Never.

Display & Brightness -> Always On Display -> “Always On Display” = ON.

I put the phone on the charger.

Phone goes into Standby mode.

Then I press the Side Button, per instructions.

iPhone makes “click” noise.

Screen goes dark for an instant.

Screen comes back on in Standby mode display.

Stays on for hours - exact length unknown because I fall asleep.

I wake up during the night, and display is off.

Tapping the display wakes it back up into Standby mode.

But I DON’T WANT IT TO GO OFF!

I even tried force-restarting the phone after setting the above Settings (because, what the heck, maybe it needs a reboot), and waved a dead chicken over it.

The screen STILL goes dark after a few hours in Standby mode.

What do I have to do to get it to stay ON in Standby mode? Use a dead turkey instead of a dead chicken? A cow? I’ll try anything…

Does “Always On” not mean “always on”?

Does “TURN DISPLAY OFF” = “Never” not mean “never”?

Is this a Known Issue that Apple is working on for a future iOS update?