It is no coincidence that modern phones proudly bear the title of smartphones – smart devices. The same iPhone can adapt to lighting conditions, reducing eye strain. This helps to promote healthy sleep. But the list of functions demanded after sunset is much wider. Let’s talk about Dark Mode, Night Mode, Night Shift Mode, and other useful iPhone features that you can use when it gets dark.
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Dark mode
Following the introduction of Dark Mode to macOS in 2018, Apple also included it in the iOS 13 update for iPhone and iPad. Dark Mode completely overhauls Apple’s mobile operating system with dark backgrounds and light text. This combination is ideal for reading at night.
You can use Dark Mode permanently, or your iPhone will automatically turn it on when it gets dark. And to activate Dark Mode on your smartphone, follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings → Screen and brightness…
2. Select “Light” or “Dark” checkout and then turn on “Automatically” activate automatic changeover if necessary.
3. If you use the option to automatically turn on dark mode, then in the section “Parameters” it is possible to set up a custom schedule.
In addition, you can also activate the dark theme in Control room… To do this, press and hold the screen brightness slider, and then click on the corresponding button in the lower left corner.
Alternatively, you can ask Siri to switch between modes by saying: “Hey Siri, turn on dark mode.” or “Hey Siri, switch to light mode.”…
Many applications work in conjunction with the iOS dark mode, adapting their interface to it automatically.
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Night shift
Research shows that the presence or absence of blue light affects our sleep patterns. Our brains associate activity and alertness with this particular color because of the sky that we see every day. At the end of the day, the warm orange and yellow colors of the sunset signal the body to rest.
This is why many people try to mimic these natural cues with multi-platform apps like F.lux. These programs make the colors on the computer warmer in the evening. Apple added a similar feature called Night Shift in iOS 9.3 (and later on the Mac).
To enable this mode, go to Settings → Screen and brightnessand then press Night Shift… You can how to enable automatic dynamic schedule “From Dusk Till Dawn”and set the time frame “Start” and “End”to set your own.
At the bottom of this menu, you can use the slider to control the warmth level of the color temperature when your phone is in Night Shift mode.
It is not certain how effective this regimen is in stimulating sleep. In 2018, the Lighting Research Center, based on observation of 12 participants, concluded that changing screen color alone was not enough to limit the effects of portable electronic devices on melatonin levels in the evening. Experts believe that it is necessary to lower the overall screen brightness as well. Here are just 12 participants – too few for a full sample to draw serious conclusions. If you just want to decrease the brightness of the screen, do it via “Control center” or on the menu Settings → Screen and brightness…
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Red filter
Although humans are generally not active at night or at dusk, our eyes can adjust to darkness to be able to see even in low light conditions. This can be called “night vision”. But it’s hard to maintain that ability if you’re looking at a bright white screen or a flashlight beam hits your eyes.
This is why many headlights and flashlights have a red filter. Red light causes our pupils to dilate less, making it easier to maintain night vision.
It’s no coincidence that the iPhone is considered an amazing device. It contains the function “Color tint”which performs similar functions. With its help, the red filter begins to work across the entire screen, which allows us to use our device and maintain the ability to see in the dark.
Follow the steps below to enable the feature “Color tint”:
1. Go to Settings → Universal access → Display and text size…
2. Scroll down and tap on “Light filters”…
3. Activate the switch “Light filters”and then at the bottom click on “Tint”…
4. Move the sliders “Intensity” and “Tint” all the way to the right.
The display will take on an intense reddish tint.
You can also set a shortcut to automatically enable this feature if you like. Go to Settings → Universal access, scroll all the way down and press “Quick command”… Click on “Filters” if you want to activate this feature by triple-clicking the side button on your phone. If you have an iPhone 8 or earlier, you will have to press the button three times. “Home”…
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Flashlight (and adjusting its intensity)
The iPhone flashlight is a simple and familiar tool. But did you know that it is possible to change its brightness? To do this, swipe down from the top-right corner (on iPhone X or later) or from bottom to top (on iPhone 8 or earlier) to access “Control Center”…
Press and hold the flashlight icon until you see a strip divided into five segments. The value is displayed at the bottom “Turned off”, and at the top – the maximum brightness. Select something in the middle to change the brightness of the flashlight.
The next time you turn on the flashlight from “Control center»Or via a shortcut on the lock screen, the previous brightness setting will be used. If you want to change it again, just press and hold the flashlight icon.
If you do not see the flashlight icon in “Control room“, Then go to Settings → Control point, and then add a flashlight icon to the list.
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Night mode (iPhone 11 and newer only)
With the release of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, the ability to take smartphone photos in low light has been significantly improved. One of the most exciting features Apple has come along with new devices is Night modethat brightens dark images without adding too much noise.
Night mode follows one of the basic rules of photography: the longer the shutter remains open, the more light is captured. This is a lot like taking a long exposure shot with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. You will get the best results on any camera if you follow the same rules.
Night mode turns on automatically when your iPhone detects that there is not enough light in the scene. If you want to activate the function manually, just click on the night mode (moon) icon in the upper left corner and it will turn yellow.
You can also use the slider to adjust the exposure time. This will allow you to get more or less light. The further the slider to the right, the longer the shutter speed will be. But with its increase, an increased stability of the position of the apparatus itself is also required.
For best results, use a tripod to keep your iPhone completely still.
The more you experiment with Night mode, the more you understand how it works and what its limitations are.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have an iPhone 11 (or newer iPhone), you won’t be able to use Night Mode. This means your photos will be much darker or noisier.
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Flash for notifications and calls
If you often use silent mode, then you have probably encountered skipping notifications. Sometimes it makes you think about purchasing an Apple Watch. But you can always turn on the fast blinking of the flash on the back of your device when you receive push notifications or an incoming phone call. This trick is ideal for monitoring notifications at night.
To enable this flash behavior, follow these steps:
1. Go to Settings → Universal access and click on “Audiovisualization”…
2. Turn on Flash Alerts and (if you like) “In silent mode”…
When the option is enabled “In silent mode” LED will flash with warning even when your device is in silent mode. If you disable this setting, the LED will only flash when your ringer switch is not set to silent mode.
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