Screen Dimming and Timeout on the Launcher Desktop
The launcher desktop can turn its own screen off after a while of inactivity, warn you first with a dim, and show a readable clock even once it has gone dark. This page covers setting the timeout, reading the dim screen, keeping it lit while charging, and what each device profile starts with.
Why You'll Love This
A tablet left as a kitchen photo frame, a car head unit that should never go dark, or a phone on the nightstand you would rather not have glowing all night: the desktop's own screen timeout decides which of these you get, without you having to remember to lock the device yourself every time.
- FastMediaSorter in the Standard edition or the noLegal edition, with the launcher desktop open - see Your launcher desktop.
Choose when the screen turns off
Open the launcher settings - Launcher settings in the long-press menu, or Settings, General, System launcher settings - and in the Desktop group find Screen timeout. Pick Off (never), one of the presets from 5 seconds to 300 seconds (5 min), or type your own number of seconds. Where the device supports it, the countdown locks the device the same way pressing the power button would, and a device with an Always On Display keeps showing it; where a lock is out of reach, the desktop instead falls back to its own black screen, and the setting's own subtitle says so. On by default, at 30 seconds.
System launcher settings, Desktop group, Screen timeout dialog open with presets from 5 to 300 seconds.
A brief dim before it goes dark
A few seconds before the countdown ends, the desktop dims instead of cutting straight to black, so a glance at the screen is enough to notice it is about to go, and a tap keeps it awake.
What the dimmed screen shows
While the screen is dimmed or already blacked out, it can still show the time: turn on Show clock and status while dimmed, in the Desktop group, to draw the clock together with the same status indicators the tray shows - SIM signal, network type and roaming, Bluetooth device count, transfer speed and Wi-Fi generation - folding extra notifications into a plain count once there are too many to fit. The whole face turns to landscape by the device's own sensor, and a larger tap ring with four compass sparks marks where to tap or swipe to wake the desktop.
Launcher dim screen, clock and status indicators visible, tap ring with four sparks, landscape orientation.
Keep it lit while charging
Screen timeout when on charge, in the same Desktop group, takes over for as long as a wired or wireless charger is connected, replacing the ordinary screen timeout while power stays attached. It ships Off (never), so a charging device keeps its desktop lit unless you set a time for this row too.
System launcher settings, Desktop group, Screen timeout when on charge dialog open, Off selected.
Where each device profile starts
A car head unit or a photo-frame device profile starts with Screen timeout already set to Off (never), since those devices are meant to stay lit and visible. Every other profile starts at the default 30 seconds. Change either default any time from the same Screen timeout row.
Lock it before the countdown ends
A double tap on empty desktop space locks the screen straight away without waiting out the countdown - the same decision point the idle timeout uses, so it locks the device where possible and blacks the screen out where it cannot. Audio you started earlier keeps playing either way. See Double-tap to lock the screen for how to turn the gesture off.
What You Get
The desktop turns off exactly when you want it to - never, on a fixed clock, or on its own schedule while charging - with a warning dim first and a clock you can still glance at once it goes dark.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Nothing on the dim screen? Turn on Show clock and status while dimmed in the Desktop group - it is off until you switch it on.
- Device without a real lock? The subtitle under Screen timeout says so, and the desktop uses its own black overlay instead - any tap or key brings it back.
- Want a gesture that locks it instantly? See Customizing navigation gestures and shortcuts.