Question:

Question: auto lock 'never' option is missing

i have an iphone xs max with the latest ios (14.6), but the setting for auto lock 'never' is missing. how to i fix that?

iPhone XS Max

Posted on Jun 1, 2021 5:44 AM

Helpful answers

Question marked as ★ Helpful

Jul 30, 2021 2:28 PM in response to MichaelB2019 In response to MichaelB2019

I can't find profiles & device management under general or when I search it

Jul 30, 2021 2:28 PM

Jun 2, 2021 7:53 AM in response to cate233 In response to cate233

Hi cate233,

Thanks for coming to Apple Support Communities for help today. It sounds like the Never option is missing on Auto-Lock in Settings > Display & Brightness.

This might be expected if you have a managed device. You can check in Settings  > General > Profiles & Device Management.

You can read more about MDM here: MDM overview for Apple devices.

Have a fantastic day!

Jun 2, 2021 7:53 AM

Question marked as ★ Helpful

Jul 30, 2021 2:28 PM in response to MichaelB2019 In response to MichaelB2019

I can't find profiles & device management under general or when I search it

Jul 30, 2021 2:28 PM

Jul 30, 2021 2:41 PM in response to Gabby_rose29 In response to Gabby_rose29

Do you have a work Exchange email account? If so, that can change it as well.

Jul 30, 2021 2:41 PM

Aug 8, 2021 1:32 AM in response to ChrisJ4203 In response to ChrisJ4203

No, on my iPhone I have my work O365 account on it, but not on my iPad. In Display & Brightness I have only 2 minutes and 5 minutes. No Never. When using my iPad for a presentation or public speaking I need my iPad not to lock during my speech. I can speak up to 30 minutes or longer. Having to unlock my tablet several times is very annoying and would rather use paper to use. Not very eco friendly

Aug 8, 2021 1:32 AM

Aug 20, 2021 5:14 AM in response to MichaelB2019 In response to MichaelB2019

@MichaelB2019, Thanks for the tip. You're indeed correct. I did have a "managed device" under General->Device Management (for my company email configs) that disable to Never option under Display&Brightness->Auto-Lock.

After removing that managed device, the Never option finally shows up again, so that I can disable auto-lock of the phone when I'm using google map while driving (which is a royal pain).

Thank you so much.

Aug 20, 2021 5:14 AM

Aug 30, 2021 7:25 AM in response to MichaelB2019 In response to MichaelB2019

Hi, I have the same issue as above (auto-lock "never" option not available).

I have a software version 14.7.1 but I haven't been able to find "Settings  > General > Profiles & Device Management". Any help?

Aug 30, 2021 7:25 AM

Aug 30, 2021 12:40 PM in response to tiziana211 In response to tiziana211

@tiziana211, I think you'll see the option "Profiles & Device Management" only if you have managed device installed. In my case, when I installed and enabled my company emails/apps on my iphone, it created and installed a profile for it, that's why I saw the managed device on my iphone at the time. (The managed device of my company must have security policy to force my phone to auto-lock, for security purpose.) After I removed that managed device, the Never option (for disabling auto-lock in "Display & Brightness" shows up again).

I'm on 14.7.1 as well. I can also confirm that, now that I've deleted the managed device, I no longer see the "Profile & Device Management" option on my phone anymore (since I have no other profiles installed).

If you're still not seeing the Never option (to disable the auto-lock of the phone), it must be due to some other reasons, other than managed device.

Hope this helps.

Aug 30, 2021 12:40 PM

Aug 30, 2021 12:46 PM in response to tiziana211 In response to tiziana211

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Scroll down to the bottom
  4. Look just below VPN; do you see Profiles, Device Management, or Profiles & Device Management?
  5. If you see any one of these tap on it to open it and look for a company or school security profile.

If you find the profile you can delete it, but if you do, that will disable all apps provided by the company or school and cancel the company or school email account and VPN connection, if any.

The other possibility is if the phone is a company issued phone that is under MDM (Mobile Device Management). If it is then you cannot disable the setting.

Aug 30, 2021 12:46 PM

Aug 30, 2021 2:09 PM in response to Lawrence Finch In response to Lawrence Finch

@LawrenceFinch, that's a good point, though when I deleted my "managed device" (previously listed under Device Management), that looks to have removed the profile associated with it, and the VPN configs I previously set are all gone. As a result, there is nothing listed in VPN on my phone anymore.

Aug 30, 2021 2:09 PM

Sep 24, 2021 1:48 AM in response to cate233 In response to cate233

I had the never option, then I updated to iPadOS 15 and it was gone, but now I disconnected my exchange account. It's back!

Sep 24, 2021 1:48 AM

Sep 24, 2021 6:59 AM in response to Damboo60 In response to Damboo60

When you put a business account on your phone you give a lot of control over the phone's security settings to the company IT department.

Sep 24, 2021 6:59 AM

Oct 2, 2021 11:13 PM in response to cate233 In response to cate233

I have the same issue. My phone is not managed by a company at all. My own personal device. The "Never" option legit is just not there. This has got to be some sort of bug. Apple needs to become aware of the issue and fix it. Only way this'll get fixed. Ridiculousness!!

Oct 2, 2021 11:13 PM

Oct 3, 2021 6:59 AM in response to MiniPennypacker In response to MiniPennypacker

You have a business or school account on your phone, or your Screen Time settings is enabled.

Oct 3, 2021 6:59 AM

Oct 3, 2021 8:09 AM in response to Lawrence Finch In response to Lawrence Finch

I don't have a business or school account on my iPhone. I have business/school emails that I've signed into through Mail App that have access to my notes, calendar, etc. But these accounts are strictly email and have no relation to my personal device account. Furthermore, I tested your theory of having screen time enabled. I disabled it, closed out of Settings and restarted the app entirely, went into Auto Lock settings and "Never" was still not an available option. Any other suggestions?

Oct 3, 2021 8:09 AM

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Question: auto lock 'never' option is missing