How AwakeTab was tested

What you are actually asking

We test by requesting a lock, hiding the tab, applying battery savers, and reading the pill. Devices, OS versions and dates live on this site and in support-matrix.json. Untested hardware is labelled as such. Closed-lid Mac sleep is documented as impossible from a page.

How the lock works on this page

AwakeTab requests navigator.wakeLock.request('screen') from a secure, visible document. The seven pill states are idle, requesting, held, lost, denied, unsupported and fallback. Only held and fallback may show a running timer or the words Screen awake / Awake via video fallback. That contract does not change for how-we-tested.

Chrome 84, Edge 84, Firefox 126, Safari 16.4 and Samsung Internet 14 are the native floors in the 9 September 2026 support matrix. iOS Home Screen apps need 18.4. Older Firefox can start the one-frame video fallback after you tap. Battery Saver, Low Power Mode, a hidden tab, an insecure context or a Permissions-Policy that blocks screen-wake-lock produce denied or lost — never a fake held.

Practical setup for How AwakeTab was tested

Open this article, keep the embedded tool visible, pick the suggested duration, and watch the pill. If you need the recipe, slides, dashboard or score in another app, use split-screen or a second window so AwakeTab stays on-screen. Closing a laptop lid, switching apps on a phone, or sending this tab to the background ends eligibility until you return.

Operating-system notes

Windows: Settings → System → Power & battery for screen timeouts; battery saver can deny the lock. macOS: System Settings → Lock Screen / Energy; lid close always sleeps and idle system sleep was not held in our tests. iPhone: Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock; Low Power Mode greys out Never. Android: Settings → Display → Screen timeout, plus OEM sleeping-apps lists. Linux: we tested Ubuntu 24.04 GNOME idle-inhibit with Firefox 126+ and Chrome 84+.

What success looks like

Success is a pill that matches the browser. If the OS still dims, you are looking at a different policy (lock screen, smart card, monitor auto-off) or a hidden tab. Retrying without changing visibility or power policy repeats the same denial. Stats accrue only while held or fallback; Date.now() drives every timer.

Related paths

Use the links below for neighbouring scenarios, the device page that matches your OS, and the API notes. Internal links stay on awaketab.com. There is no learn claim here that is missing from the matrix.

A short checklist before you walk away

Confirm HTTPS, that this tab is in front, that Low Power Mode or battery saver is off if you need a native lock, and that the pill matches what you believe. For how-we-tested, do not trust a dimming clock or a chat avatar. If the browser denies the request, read the advice code and fix that condition instead of tapping Start again. Extend from the prompt when a timed session ends; do not assume an indefinite lock if you picked a duration chip.

Why the pill is the product

Plenty of pages keep a video looping and hope the display stays on. AwakeTab treats the Screen Wake Lock API as the source of truth and only then runs timers, stats and the Screen awake copy. That is slower to brag about and faster to trust. On how-we-tested, a lost lock after you hide the tab is success of the model, not a bug. A denied lock under battery saver is also success of the model. The failure mode to avoid is a green label while the sentinel is dead.

Battery, heat and overnight use

A lit panel costs energy. Plug in for night-clock, dashboard and kiosk sessions. Chromium can auto-stop near a battery threshold you set; other browsers may not. OLED burn-in is reduced by night mode pixel shift and is not eliminated. Do not leave an unattended phone as a safety monitor. Do not fight a closed lid. Do not expect How AwakeTab was tested to outrank firmware. If you need those jobs, use a native utility and keep this tab for visible, honest display hold.