The iOS Standby mode is one of my favourite iPhone updates in years, but unfortunately, it’s not set up to work with Apple’s basic MagSafe charger until you add an accessory to it.
While I was originally looking into getting an expensive dock, I’ve been really happy with the Elago grip stand designed to upgrade a regular MagSafe puck. The device is extraordinarily minimal, but the silicon feels nice, and I like how minimal it is on my bedside table.
One caveat with ‘Standby Mode’ is that it works much better as a clock on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro since they have an always-on display feature. Other iPhones can still use Standby, but the screen only turns on when you tap it, nudge the table your iPhone is on, or use Siri.
I’m fairly lucky that my bedside tables are built into my bed frame, so often, when I’m shifting in bed to get a vantage of the clock, it moves the table enough to make my girlfriend’s iPhone 15 display turn on, but it’s still not as easy as just looking at my iPhone 15 Pro and knowing that it’s gonna show me the time with no effort. While I thought I’d want a three-in-one charger for my bedside, all I charge there is my old AirPods (since I wear them to sleep) and my iPhone. Since I need to charge my earbuds so infrequently, one pad works perfectly. I still use my Apple Watch Ultra for sleep tracking most nights, so I don’t charge it in my bedroom, but if I did, I’d likely be looking for a MagSafe charger that also worked with that.
The stand comes in eight colours and regularly retails for $18. That said, it often goes on sale for as low as $13. Take note that you do need to already own a MagSafe charging pad to fit into the silicon mold to actually get power.
Elago’s Grip Stand MagSafe Charger costs $13.99.