Keep screen alive option has disappeared on Zotero iOS

nairaalam
edited February 12, 2025
I have been using Zotero across a bunch of platforms for the past year and more. I do most of my readings on an iPad, though. Over the last few months, a favorite option of mine that allowed me to keep the screen alive through a (button in the) pop-up menu within the Zotero PDF reader has disappeared. I was using the beta version when it first went away a few months ago. I then switched to the non-beta release, which still had the option. However, a month or so in, the option completely disappeared. It has not come back since.

Has this been a deliberate choice on the side of the developers, or is this a bug with the current release?
  • dstillman
    When you're in the reader, it now just keeps the screen on for 5 minutes before following the iOS setting.
  • nairaalam
    Thank you for the response. I just verified this: there is no 5-minute wait time. The display seems to directly follow the iOS auto-lock setting. Is it possible to have the old functionality back?
  • dstillman
    What version of the app are you running? (Visible at the bottom of the settings pane)
  • dstillman
    It's working fine for me in 1.0.47. My iOS is set to auto-lock after 3 minutes. In the reader, 5 minutes go by, and then the screen dims at 7:40 and turns off at 8:00.
  • nairaalam
    I am running Version 1.0.47 Build 313. I have an iPad 8th Gen running iPadOS 18.0.
  • nairaalam
    edited February 14, 2025
    "My iOS is set to auto-lock after 3 minutes. In the reader, 5 minutes go by, and then the screen dims at 7:40 and turns off at 8:00. "

    How is the time between screen dimming and turning off 20 minutes? It is still weird behavior.

    Edit: My bad! I guess you are talking in MM:SS.

    Edit 2: I don't seem to have an auto lock time-setting of 3 minutes on my device.
  • nairaalam
    It seems to be working now. However, is it possible to have the old functionality back?
  • dstillman
    edited February 14, 2025
    No, we changed it because we don't think manually toggling a setting makes any sense, and other reader apps don't do that either. Longer explanation here (from before we reduced from 25 to 5):

    https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/107075/screen-timeout-after-two-minutes-does-not-work-in-zotero-ipad-app
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