Modern mobile devices and ways of working with information literally force us to spend hours in front of our gadgets’ screens. When we wake up, the first thing we do is pick up our smartphone, and when we fall asleep, we check our email or read the news. This scenario is becoming commonplace for more and more people. However, the constant exposure of our eyes to bright screen light can be stressful , especially if it occurs in low light conditions or at dusk.
Your eyes will tell you that it is uncomfortable to look at the screen of your iPhone or iPad because of the brightness. In such a situation, the user usually goes to ” Settings ” → ” Screen and Brightness ” and moves the brightness slider to the left.
You can do it differently – open the ” Control Center ” and change the corresponding settings there.
But even if the lowest possible brightness level offered doesn’t seem dim enough to you, there is another way to make the screen darker.
This feature is especially useful if you need to use your device in the dark, such as in a movie theater or next to a sleeping partner. It will also help people with increased light sensitivity, as it provides comfortable work with a smartphone, minimizing eye strain and fatigue. We will tell you how to set up this feature, which is called ” White Point Reduction “.
How to reduce iPhone screen brightness below minimum level using White Point Reduction feature?
1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app .
2. In the list of sections, click on ” Accessibility “.
3. Scroll down and select ” Quick Command “
4. Check the box next to ” Reduce white point “.
Now, to turn the feature on or off, you just need to triple-click the iPhone side button.
However, it is worth noting that if in the ” Quick Command ” section you already had a command linked to a triple-click of the side button, for example ” Magnifier “, then an additional context menu of ” Universal Access ” will appear, in which you will need to select ” Lower White Point “.
As a result, your iPhone’s display will be even dimmer than the minimum brightness level suggested by the default brightness adjustment tool.
How to return iPhone screen brightness to normal settings (turn off white point)?
To return the screen brightness to its normal level, simply triple-click the side button again.
Setting Up the White Point Reduction Feature on iPhone
If you still find your screen too bright (or too dim) when using the feature, you can adjust the White Point Lowering setting manually. To do this, in the Settings app , go to Accessibility → Display & Text Size , then scroll down and turn on the switch next to White Point Lowering
You will see a slider appear that you can move left or right, thereby changing the brightness level of the white point.
How to automatically reduce brightness below minimum level depending on time of day (e.g. before bed)?
You can automatically turn on the ” White Point Reduction ” setting at a time that suits you, such as when you’re getting ready for bed. This can automate changes to your screen brightness, which is especially helpful for relaxing before bed.
Blue light is known to disrupt your natural sleep patterns by suppressing melatonin production. This hormone plays an important role in regulating sleep. So this automation becomes especially useful if you have a habit of reading or browsing the web on your iPhone at night. You can use the built-in tools of your smartphone to do this without significantly affecting the quality of your sleep. And here’s how to set it up:
1. Open the Shortcuts app , go to the Shortcuts tab , and tap the + icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the search bar.
3. Type in ” White Point ” and then select ” Adjust White Point ” when it appears in the search results.
4. Set it to ” On ” and then select ” Toggle ” from the drop-down menu.
5. Click ” Done ” in the upper right corner of the screen.
After completing the steps above, you will see a new command called “Adjust White Point ” in the ” Commands ” menu. If you want, rename it to ” Turn on White Point ” since we will be creating another command later – ” Turn off White Point” .
Now this command is ready to use in your custom automation system. All that’s left is to learn how to use it.
1. In the Shortcuts app, select the Automations tab , then tap the + icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. On the Automate for Yourself screen, select the Time of Day menu
3. On the When screen , check the box next to Time of Day and select the desired time to automatically turn on the function.
4. In the ” Repeat ” section, check the box next to ” By day ” and enable the ” Immediate start ” option. Click ” Next “.
5. On the screen where the function activation schedule is indicated at the top, select the created command “ Enable the White Point function ”
Your automation is ready and it will appear in the general list!
Now, at the appointed time, the brightness of your iPhone screen will automatically decrease to the set value of the ” Reduce White Point ” function.
How to automatically return screen brightness to normal settings when sleep ends?
Now you need to make sure that your iPhone’s display brightness is reset in the morning, when you finish sleeping. To do this, you need to create an additional automation. In essence, it includes the same steps that you just used to create a custom automation. But the exception here is that instead of choosing the time to go to sleep, you need to choose ” Wake up “. Let’s list these actions again, but with a modified third step:
1. Launch the Shortcuts app , go to the Shortcuts tab , and then tap the + button in the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the search bar.
3. Enter the query ” White Point ” and select ” Adjust White Point ” from the search results.
4. Set the value to ” Off ” and then select ” Toggle ” from the drop-down menu.
5. Click ” Done ” in the upper right corner of the screen.
After completing the steps above, you will see a new command called “Adjust White Point ” in the ” Commands ” menu. If you want, rename it, for example, to ” Turn White Point Off “
Now let’s apply this command in automation.
1. In the Shortcuts app, go to the Automations tab , then tap the + icon .
2. Select the ” Time of day ” menu.
3. On the When screen , check the box next to Time of Day and select the desired time to turn off the function automatically.
4. In the ” Repeat ” section, check the box next to ” By day ” and enable the ” Immediate start ” option. Click ” Next “.
5. On the screen where the schedule for turning off the function is indicated at the top, select the previously created command “ Turn off the White Point function ”
Your automation will appear in the general list.
That’s all you need to do. Now with this automation, your iPhone display brightness will return to normal.
