The iPhone’s blue light filter is called Night Shift. To turn it on, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift and turn on Manually Enable Until Tomorrow, or turn on Scheduled to have it switch on automatically from sunset to sunrise. Drag the Color Temperature slider toward More Warm for a stronger filter. You can also turn it on from Control Center by touching and holding the brightness slider and tapping the Night Shift button.
Turn on Night Shift in Settings
- Open Settings and tap Display & Brightness.
- Tap Night Shift.
- Turn on Manually Enable Until Tomorrow to start it now.
- Drag Color Temperature to adjust how warm (yellow) the screen looks.
Schedule Night Shift
- In Night Shift settings, turn on Scheduled.
- Tap From and choose Sunset to Sunrise, or Custom Schedule to set your own times.
Sunset to Sunrise needs Location Services turned on (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Setting Time Zone).
Turn on Night Shift from Control Center
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (or up from the bottom on iPhones with a Home button).
- Touch and hold the brightness slider.
- Tap the Night Shift button at the bottom.
Want an even stronger filter?
Night Shift’s warmest setting still lets some blue through. For a deeper orange or red tint:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters.
- Turn on Color Filters, choose Color Tint, and move Hue toward red and Intensity up.
- Add it to the Accessibility Shortcut (triple-click the side or Home button) in Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut for quick on and off.
You can also turn on Dark Mode in Display & Brightness and lower the brightness to reduce screen glare at night.
Night Shift not working?
- Grayed out: Night Shift is turned off when Classic Invert or Smart Invert, or some Color Filters, are on. Turn those off in Accessibility settings.
- Schedule not starting: Check that the date, time, and time zone are set automatically in Settings > General > Date & Time.
- Not visible in screenshots: That’s normal. Night Shift changes only the display, not screenshots.
Another option is iPhone grayscale mode.
Frequently asked questions
Does Night Shift help you sleep?
Research is mixed. Night Shift reduces blue light, but overall screen brightness and what you’re doing on your phone also matter. Using your phone less before bed is the most reliable approach.
Which iPhones have Night Shift?
iPhone 5s and later with iOS 9.3 or later.
Is Night Shift the same as True Tone?
No. True Tone adjusts the display’s white balance to match the room’s lighting all day. Night Shift makes colors warmer at night.
Does Night Shift save battery?
No, not noticeably. Lowering brightness or using Dark Mode on OLED iPhones saves more battery.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.