Standby mode requires passcode

That’s not what they mean, activating to watch is fine, but controlling a widget requires passcode or Face ID. But Face ID doesn’t work in landscape mode. For now I use the phone on a mini tripod on my night stand and aimed at where I have my head on the pillow. This way Face ID works while laying down (mind phone orientation). Not ideal but it seems to work.

Hello Miraj12,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with your iPhone requiring a passcode to unlock. This article goes over Stand By and how it should work: Use StandBy to view information at a distance while iPhone is charging - Apple Support

Have you tried restarting your iPhone? This simple step resolves a multitude of issues: Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

"How to restart your iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, or later

Press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears.

Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off. If your device is frozen or unresponsive, force restart your device.

To turn your device back on, press and hold the side button (on the right side of your iPhone) until you see the Apple logo."

If that doesn't resolve the issue, does your iPhone need updating to iOS 17.0.3? Do you have a recent backup for the data in your iPhone in iCloud or your computer? If not, we recommend that you create one as described here: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Then update your iOS as outlined here:  Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

Hi K_Faith

I don't think this answers the question Miraj12 asked. In iOS 17 Standy mode, it is possible to add widgets. Some of these widgets are visible even when the iPhone is still locked. However, when you want to use the widgets (eg. for turning on a light), the iPhone asks to unlock via FaceID (which is quite hard in landscape mode). This even is the case if the following settings are toggled on: FaceID & Passcode -> Turn on Lock Screen Widgets and Home Control under Allow Access When Locked.

I can well imagine that this is a security feature to prevent malicious people from having the ability to put your iPhone in Standby Mode and access your home controls, for example. However, through the regular control centre, these features are also available (even when the iPhone is locked). For that particular function, users are given the option to turn this access on or off. Such a feature should also be implemented for Stanby mode. In its present form, Standby mode is not very functional.

Thanks for helping!

I really do not understand why this is happening to you. I have an iPhone 15 on iOS 17.2. I put my phone on landscape mode to activate standby mode every night. I have it set to show the time and the weather. If, or when I wake up at night, all I have to do is tap the phone and the time etc. shows up, I never have to put in a password. IMO there is something wrong with how you have set it up.