Most of us stare at our iPhones for far too long, and this constant exposure to a bright screen can strain our eyes, especially in low-light conditions or during the twilight hours. That's where the ability to dim your iPhone screen beyond the standard brightness settings becomes a game-changer.

iphone in bed
If the screen of your iPhone or iPad is too bright for comfort, the usual solution is to go to Settings ➝ Display & Brightness and drag the Brightness slider to the left, or open Control Center and adjust the corresponding setting from there. However, if the lowest setting offered by the Brightness level just isn't dim enough for you, there's another way to make your screen even darker.

This feature is particularly useful if you find yourself needing to use your device in dark environments, such as in a bedroom where a partner is sleeping, or in a dimly lit theater. It's also a boon for anyone with light sensitivity, providing a more comfortable viewing experience that minimizes eye strain and fatigue. Let's look at how to set it up below.

Reduce White Point

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Select Accessibility from the list of options.
  3. Scroll down and select Accessibility Shortcut.
  4. Tap Reduce White Point, then drag it up near the top of the list using the three lines icon.

settings

Now that's set up, simply triple-click your iPhone's Side button to display the Accessibility Shortcut menu, then tap Reduce White Point.

reduce white point
Your iPhone display will now be dimmer than the dimmest setting offered by the standard Brightness level.

Reset White Point

To return the white point to its normal level, simply triple-click the Side button again and tap Reduce White Point to uncheck it.

Adjust White Point

If the White Point is still too bright (or too dim), you can adjust it manually: In Settings, go to Accessibility ➝ Display & Text Size, then scroll down and turn on the switch next to Reduce White Point.

settings
This will reveal a slider that you can move left or right to change the brightness level.

Trigger Reduced White Point at Bedtime

It's possible to make the Reduced White Point setting come on when Bedtime starts, or when your Sleep focus is enabled. This offers an automated approach to minimizing screen brightness, which is particularly beneficial for winding down before bedtime.

Blue light is known for its potential to disrupt natural sleep patterns by inhibiting the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial for sleep regulation. That makes an automation especially useful if you have a habit of reading or browsing on your iPhone as part of your nighttime routine, allowing you to do so without significantly impacting your sleep quality. Here's how it's done.

  1. Open the Shortcuts app, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Tap Add Action.
    shortcuts

  3. Type "White Point" in the search field, then choose Set White Point when it appears below.
  4. Tap the blue "Turn" text, then choose Toggle from the dropdown menu.
  5. Tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen.
    shortcuts

After following the above steps, you should see your new "Set White Point" shortcut in the Shortcuts menu.

shortcuts
The Shortcut is now ready to use in a new custom automation. It's easy to make, just follow these steps.

  1. In the Shortcuts app, select the Automation tab, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Under "Personal Automation," choose Sleep.
    shortcuts

  3. On the "When" screen, choose Bedtime Begins and Run Immediately, then tap Next.
  4. On the "When Bedtime Starts" screen, choose your custom Set White Point shortcut.
    shortcuts

You're all done. In the future, when Bedtime starts or when you enable the Sleep focus, your screen's white point will be automatically reduced.

Trigger White Point When Bedtime Ends

To make sure the white point on your iPhone's display is reset when bedtime ends in the morning, you just have to create an additional automation. This basically involves the same steps you just used to create the first custom automation, except instead of choosing Bedtime Begins in step 3, select Waking Up. Here are those steps again for your convenience, but with a modified step 3.

  1. In the Shortcuts app, select the Automation tab, then tap the + icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Under "Personal Automation," choose Sleep.
  3. On the "When" screen, choose Waking Up and Run Immediately, then tap Next.
  4. On the "When Bedtime Starts" screen, choose your custom Set White Point shortcut.

That's it! The white point on your iPhone display will now return to normal when your bedtime ends.

Top Rated Comments

emlarsen Avatar
11 months ago
Or….hear me out…

Don’t use your phone in bed. It screws up your sleep. ?‍♂️
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkskies Avatar
11 months ago
Great feature - I had no idea this existed. However I take great exception to the phrase "or in a dimly lit theater"! No one should ever be getting their phone out there - it's just rude to everyone around you.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
11 months ago
Is this better than the zoom filter method?

Accessibility > Zoom > Zoom Filter > Low Light
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clg82 Avatar
11 months ago
Or you can make it even more dim by actually disconnecting from your electronics while in bed and turn them off......
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheGhostWalker Avatar
11 months ago
I've been using this for a long while now. Instead of using a shortcut, I have a triple press of the lock button to enable it. Super quick and easy to enable and disable

Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut → Reduce White Point
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
11 months ago
What is this MacTips.com?

j/k… More articles like this pretty ? ?



Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...