How to adjust screen brightness and sleep settings on Android

By Luke Filipowicz
last updated

On top of changing your phone's brightness, you can also customize the sleep settings, which allows you to choose how long it takes for your screen to shut when you're not using it. Here's how to adjust your brightness and sleep settings.

How to adjust your screen brightness on Android

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification Shade. Depending on which Android phone you have, you may have to swipe twice.
  2. Tap and hold the brightness slider. It's the icon that looks like the sun.
  3. Drag the brightness slider to your desired brightness.
  4. Release the slider.

How to turn off Adaptive brightness on Android

Adaptive brightness gives your phone the ability to adjust the screen brightness automatically depending on the amount of light around you. The setting is typically on by default, but it's easy to turn off if you want to.

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification Shade. Depending on which Android phone you have, you may have to swipe twice.
  2. Tap on the settings button. It's the gear icon in the top right.

  1. Tap Display.
  2. Tap the On/Off switch beside Adaptive brightness.

You can follow these exact steps to turn the adaptive brightness setting back on whenever you need.

How to turn on Ambient display on Android

Enabling Ambient display allows you to view the time and notifications on your lock screen without having to press the power or home buttons.

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification Shade. Depending on which Android phone you have, you may have to swipe twice.
  2. Tap on the settings button. It's the gear icon in the top right.

  1. Tap Display.
  2. Tap the On/Off switch beside Ambient display.

Follow the same steps to turn off Ambient display whenever you want.

How to change the sleep settings on Android

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification Shade. Depending on which Android phone you have, you may have to swipe twice.
  2. Tap on the settings button. It's the gear icon in the top right.
  3. Tap Display.

  1. Tap Sleep.
  2. 15 seconds
  3. 30 seconds
  4. 1 minute
  5. 2 minutes
  6. 5 minutes
  7. 10 minutes
  8. 30 minutes

Luke Filipowicz
Luke Filipowicz
22 Comments
  • You forgot to add "..for Pokemon Go" to your headline.
  • You are absolutely right. This was aimed directly at the lowest common denominator in the room...The average pokemon go player.
  • This is so you can save battery life for more Pokemon go game time :)
  • What's next? A story on what is Android? Or maybe Pokémon's take on Android. Posted via the Android Central App
  • I don't mind one bit scrolling past the Pokémon articles but what I DO mind is all this childish posting ABOUT Pokémon on articles that have nothing to do with it thinking its funny. Sick of AC posting them? Fine. Scroll by and find something you want to read. Or leave. Stop screwing around with evety fricken article here. Gawd... grow up.
  • I refuse to grow up, and you can't make me. You're not the boss of me!! The reason we're posting about Pokemon Go is because the editors of this site were asked in every conceivable way, over and over and over again, to ease up on the Pokemon Go articles. Instead they started to write even more as a sort of institutionalized trolling. They asked for it. Posted via the Android Central App
  • You need not explain yourself to useless swine...
  • Bite me. Posted via the Android Central App
  • How can I get the screen to quit turning on when it's charging in Android N?
  • This is all well and good, but how does one go about turning on the screen to begin with? Like, is there a button to engage power of the device? For the sake of discussion I'll call it the "power button"... does this exist on android? Also, after it's on, how would one go about turning the screen back off? Is there a command I could yell at the device to engage screen off? Please... I needs helpssssss!!! Can you geniuses at AC please publish an article about this soon? And do be sure to not proofread prior to publishing said article. Thanks a bunch!
  • I've been having the same problem....I can't figure out how make screen thingy work gooder and then not work at making lights and flashes. I found out that a hammer makes lights and flashes go away but now how do i make them come back and work gooder again. Maybe Android Central could help with this problem.
  • How big was your sample size? I don't think one phone is enough to say that the hammer trick will stop the lights and flashes every time. We need more sta-tiss-ticks!!! Posted via the Android Central App
  • Wouldn't a hammer create many samples out of one sample, thus organically creating the ability to test several samples from the one sample... at least 5teen samples to keep Phil from calling BS on the test... he need moar sample!! I like turtles
  • I stand corrected. There we have it, folks - AC's very own Phil Nickinson will soon be endorsing the hammer trick thanks to its acceptable sample size! Posted via the Android Central App
  • That's where duct tape and superglue come into play. First gather all the pieces and just put it back together sorta like Humpty Dumpty without the wall, or all the King's Men. Unless you self identify as a king's man then by all means that's okay or heck even a Queen. I find the bigger pieces are better to use duct tape, smaller pieces Super Glue. posted via the Pokémon Central app
    -----------------------------------------------
    before you see the light, you have to deal with the darkness
  • I think we need moar lighty flashy to make telephony thingy moar gooder, but AC won't say us how!!! They tell they make us moar smarter and gooder at telephony thingies, but I not has knawlege to make flashy flashy moar gooders then make stop lighty flashy when I no need. :(
  • Man, it only took you three posts to become the Best-Person-Who-Posts-Comments-On-AC-Articles-Of-All-Time. And yes, that is an official designation. Ignore the nonsensical syntax and bask in your newfound glory!! Posted via the Android Central App
  • Me and my minions thank you kindly, sir. Now go...spread your seed. Hasty procreation is key to supplying the world with enough testers for all Phil's samples to be thoroughly felt and fondled. Utilizing gravity, steady pressure, and a good thrust speed is of the utmost importance here. Be sure to log your results and report back to me when you've done the deed. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Settings like in the post are for vanilla Android or close to stock. Other phone's such as Samsung and LG are settings are a little different. Posted via the Android Central App on Moto G3 16/2 on $35 Cricket wireless plan.
  • Can't find ambient display on my Note 5. Is it a vanilla Android or Android Nougat thing? Posted via TCP/IP
  • Settings>accessibility>dexterity and interaction>easy screen turn on... allows you to wave your hand over the screen to turn the display on. Posted via the Android Central App
  • I came here to complain about this fuckwitted article. But you've written it all for me. Thanks guise. Posted via the Android Central App