Night Shift (software)

Night Shift is a built in software feature of iOS and macOS. It was introduced in 2016-2017 into iOS in iOS 9.3 and into macOS in macOS Sierra 10.12.4.^[1] The feature changes the color temperature of the display towards the warmer part of the color spectrum^[2] that reduces some of the blue light from the screen.^[3] Apple claims that the feature may help users have a better night's sleep by filtering blue wavelengths from the display, which suppress melatonin biosynthesis.^[4] The feature is similar to the functionality f.lux provides.^[5][6]

Effectiveness

Changing the color temperature of the display from blue towards yellow (without dimming the screen) was shown to have no effect on sleep outcomes (sleep latency, duration, efficiency and wake after sleep onset) in a 2021 study on 167 college undergraduates^[7] and to be insufficient for preventing the impact on melatonin suppression.^[8][9] In mice, yellow colors disrupted the mouse body clock more than equally bright blue colors.^[10]

Compatibility

The Night Shift feature is compatible with all 64-bit iOS devices running on iOS 9.3 and above^[11] and Macs from 2012 and later running on macOS Sierra 10.12.4 and above.^[12]

Functionality

The feature can be turned on in Settings (in iOS)^[13] and in System Preferences (in macOS)^[12] and can be toggled on or off manually in the Notification Center (in macOS)^[14] or in the Control Center (in iOS).^[2] The feature can be enabled or disabled with Siri in iOS^[11] and macOS.^[15] The feature can set so it is enabled at sunset and turn off at sunrise (the default) or turned on and off on a custom schedule.^[2] The feature when set to enable at sunset and disable at sunrise relies on the user's approximate location to determine the time of sunset and sunrise.^[16] The user can also customize the intensity of Night Shift in Settings (iOS)^[2] or System Preferences (macOS).^[17]

See also

• Electronic media and sleep
• f.lux
• Redshift (software)
• Night Light, a feature of the Creator's Update of Windows 10
• Light-on-dark color scheme

References

1. Keller, Joseph (April 18, 2018). "How to use Night Shift on your Mac". iMore. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
2. Ritchie, Rene (March 5, 2018). "How to use Night Shift on your iPhone or iPad". iMore. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
3. "Can Apple's color-shifting screen really help you fall asleep faster?". The Verge. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
4. "iOS 9.3: The new Night Shift feature probably won't help you sleep better". Macworld. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
5. Bell, Karissa (15 January 2016). "F.lux creators ask Apple to open Night Shift features to developers". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
6. Bell, Karissa (21 March 2016). "How to use Apple's new Night Shift feature in iOS 9.3". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
7. Duraccio, Kara M.; Zaugg, Kelsey K.; Blackburn, Robyn C.; Jensen, Chad D. (August 2021). "Does iPhone night shift mitigate negative effects of smartphone use on sleep outcomes in emerging adults?". Sleep Health. 7 (4): 478–484. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2021.03.005. PMID 33867308. S2CID 233299395.
8. "New LRC Study Evaluates the Effectiveness of Apple's iPad Night Shift Application" (Press release). 2018-02-05. Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
9. Nagare, R; Plitnick, B; Figueiro, Mg (May 2019). "Does the iPad Night Shift mode reduce melatonin suppression?". Lighting Research & Technology. 51 (3): 373–383. doi:10.1177/1477153517748189. PMC 6561503. PMID 31191118.
10. Mouland, Joshua W.; Martial, Franck; Watson, Alex; Lucas, Robert J.; Brown, Timothy M. (December 2019). "Cones Support Alignment to an Inconsistent World by Suppressing Mouse Circadian Responses to the Blue Colors Associated with Twilight". Current Biology. 29 (24): 4260–4267.e4. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.028. PMC 6926481. PMID 31846668.
11. Benjamin, Jeff (2016-03-23). "How-To: Set up and use Night Shift mode on iPhone and iPad [Video]". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
12. "How to Use Night Shift in macOS Sierra 10.12.4". Retrieved 2017-04-29.
13. "How to enable Night Shift in iOS 9.3". CNET. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
14. Wong, Raymond (24 January 2017). "Apple's upcoming Mac update will include a long-awaited feature that will help you sleep". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
15. Hall, Zac (2017-01-25). "How to enable Night Shift for Mac and how it works on macOS 10.12.4 [Video]". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
16. "How to Use Night Shift Mode in iOS 9.3". Retrieved 2017-04-30.
17. "How to adjust macOS Sierra 10.12.4's Night Shift settings". Macworld. Retrieved 2017-04-29.