Ever since the iOS 10 update, you'll notice something new about your iPhone: The screen seems to turn itself on randomly. It isn't random, though–in fact, it's a new feature designed to turn the screen on when you're handling it, or when notifications come through.

The New "Raise to Wake" Feature

RELATED: The Best New Features in iOS 10 (and How to Use Them)

This feature is called "raise to wake". It uses your iPhone's accelerometer to detect when you raise your phone, and automatically turns its screen on when you do. This allows you to grab your phone out of your pocket or pick it up off a table and see all your notifications without pushing a single button. Press the Touch ID Home button and you can unlock your phone with your fingerprint and immediately bypass the lock screen.

Raise to Wake arrived with the iOS 10 update, so your old iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, or SE will immediately begin doing this after you update. The new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus also use Raise to Wake.

RELATED: How to Turn Off "Raise to Wake" in iOS 10

If you'd prefer not to have this feature, you can turn it off. Head to Settings > Display & Brightness and turn off the "Raise to Wake" slider. Your iPhone will begin working like it previously did, only turning on when you press its button.

Lock Screen Notifications

Your iPhone's screen will also turn on when you receive a notification that is displayed on its lock screen. If you get a lot of notifications, the constant turning on of your screen could noticeably diminish your battery life. It can also be distracting, particularly if you're on a dark room and you don't want your phone's screen constantly lighting up.

To prevent notifications from turning on your screen, you can do several things:

  • Take your iPhone and place it face down on a surface. While face down, your iPhone's screen won't turn on when it receives notifications.
  • Put your iPhone into "Do Not Disturb" mode by swiping up from the bottom of the screen to open the control center and tapping the moon icon. While in Do Not Disturb mode, your iPhone's screen won't light up when it receives a notification. Do Not Disturb mode can also automatically turn on during certain periods of time, which is intended to prevent your iPhone's screen from turning on and bothering you while you're sleeping. Configure Do Not Disturb mode from Settings > Do Not DIsturb.

RELATED: How to Manage Notifications on iPhone and iPad

  • Prevent an app's notifications from appearing on your lock screen. Your screen will only turn on for a notification if that notification is set to appear on your lock screen. Head to Settings > Notifications, tap an app's name, and disable the "Show on Lock Screen" option. You won't see that app's notifications on your lock screen, and the screen won't turn on when you receive a notification from that app.

You can use any combination of those options to stop your screen from turning on so often.

Image Credit: Karlis Dambrans

The above article may contain affiliate links, which help support How-To Geek.