Screen Wake Lock support

The Screen Wake Lock API lets a page request that the device’s screen stay on and not dim or lock. The browser releases the lock automatically once the document becomes hidden, so a page must reacquire it after the user returns.

Browser & ecosystem support

• Legend
• Yes
• Partial
• Flag
• No
• Unknown

Browser / Platform	Support	Versions	Confidence	Source	Notes
Chrome (Desktop)	Yes	84	high	source	—
Chrome (Android)	Yes	84	high	source	1
Edge (Desktop)	Yes	84	high	source	2
Firefox (Desktop)	Yes	126	high	source	—
Firefox (Android)	Yes	126	high	source	3
Safari (macOS)	Yes	16.4	high	source	—
Safari (iOS)	Partial	16.4 → 18.4	high	source	4
Samsung Internet	Yes	14.0	high	source	5
WebView (Android)	Yes	84	high	source	6
Opera	Yes	73	low	source	—

1. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome.
2. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome.
3. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Firefox.
4. Does not work in standalone Home Screen Web Apps. See bug 254545 (https://webkit.org/b/254545#c32).
5. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.
6. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.

Source data: /compatibility/wake-lock.json · Global usage: 91 % (StatCounter 2026-05)

Source: spec · MDN · Last verified 2026-10-03 · Confidence: low (computed from sources)

How to use it

Request a 'screen' wake lock and keep a reference to the returned WakeLockSentinel so it can be released later:

let wakeLock = null;

async function requestWakeLock() {
  wakeLock = await navigator.wakeLock.request('screen');
  wakeLock.addEventListener('release', () => {
    wakeLock = null;
  });
}

Release it explicitly once the screen no longer needs to stay on:

async function releaseWakeLock() {
  if (wakeLock) {
    await wakeLock.release();
    wakeLock = null;
  }
}

How to detect it at runtime

Check for wakeLock on navigator before calling request(). When it is absent, fall back to whatever the app already does without a wake lock (for example, leaving the screen’s default timeout in place):

async function keepScreenAwake() {
  if (!('wakeLock' in navigator)) {
    console.warn('Screen Wake Lock not supported; screen may still dim.');
    return null;
  }
  try {
    return await navigator.wakeLock.request('screen');
  } catch (err) {
    console.warn(`Wake lock request failed: ${err.message}`);
    return null;
  }
}

Practical checklist

• When the document’s visibility state becomes hidden, the browser releases the lock and fires a release event on the WakeLockSentinel; listen for visibilitychange and re-request the lock when the document becomes visible again.
• The cited MDN compatibility data records support in Firefox from version 126, Chrome from version 84, and Safari from version 16.4, so run the feature check below rather than assuming availability from a browser name alone.
• The cited MDN compatibility data records Safari on iOS 16.4 to before 18.4 as a partial implementation because it does not work in standalone Home Screen web apps; it records support from Safari on iOS 18.4.
• request() rejects when the document is not fully active or its visibility state is hidden, so only call it once the page is confirmed visible.

Where to go next

• Contact Picker — another capability gated on transient user activation.
• Background Fetch

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