Night Shift

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Night Shift:

Study: Night Shift makes no difference to a good night’s rest

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The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not be worth the hype. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening may be more beneficial to our sleep and health.
The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not live up to the hype.
Photo: Envato Elements

The iOS and macOS feature that changes display color temperature to reduce blue light so as to promote good sleep might not work quite as well as hoped.

A new study by Brigham Young University suggests that the Night Shift feature, introduced in 2016, doesn’t make any noticeable difference to sleep patterns.

Everything we think we know about iOS 14 [Updated]

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ios14
Even old iPhones will get iOS 14's new features.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to unprecedented early leaks, some of the biggest new features planned for iOS 14 have already been spoiled. Apple is supposedly making some huge changes to the Home screen, iMessages, HomeKit, Apple Pencil and much more in its next-gen mobile operating system.

The recent wave of leaks proved so overwhelming that we rounded them all up in one place. We will keep updating the list as we inch closer to this summer’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple traditionally previews all of its upcoming platform updates.

Apple’s HomeKit may add Night Shift to smart lights

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Ikea Tradfri bulbs
Multicolor bulbs controlled by HomeKit may soon get Night Mode.
Photo: Ikea

Apple’s HomeKit home-automation system will reportedly get a version of Night Shift to reduce the amount of blue in smart light bulbs as each day nears its end. This feature, allegedly coming with iOS 14 in the fall, is supposed to help people sleep better.

In addition, Apple might be adding facial recognition to security cameras controlled with HomeKit.

Does Apple’s Night Shift mode really work? New study questions its effectiveness.

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The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not be worth the hype. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening may be more beneficial to our sleep and health.
The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not live up to the hype.
Photo: Envato Elements

Blue light from iPhones or MacBook Pros might not be keeping people up at night as originally thought, according to new research.

The bottom line … the Night Shift mode on Apple products — meant to dial down the amount of blue light emitted by displays — may not be as effective as expected. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening, and bright, warmer lights in the day might prove more beneficial to our health.

How to fake True Tone on older Macs

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Make your Mac match its surroundings.
Make your Mac match its surroundings.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Owners of recent MacBooks Pro and Air can enjoy True Tone, a great technology that uses an ambient light sensor to match the color of the Mac’s display to its surroundings. True Tone mimics a white sheet of paper, which reflects the ambient light. The goal is to avoid a cold-blue screen when you’re in a nice, warmly lit room.

True Tone is a wonderful feature, and really makes everything look better. But it’s only available on new Macs. Today we’ll see how you can fake it on older computers.

Kindle Oasis 3 makes reading at night more comfortable

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Amazon kindle oasis bath
You could achieve the same effect with a nicotine-stained ziplock bag.
Photo: Amazon

One new feature in the upcoming Kindle Oasis will make a huge difference to many people. The new model adds a Night Shift-style display capable of shifting color to match the warmer light of evening.

Other than that, the new Kindle Oasis is almost exactly the same as the current model. But this great new addition means no more cold blue pages when you’re reading in bed at night.

macOS 10.12.4 brings Night Shift to the Mac

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x
It's time to update your Mac.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the best iOS 9 features has finally landed on the the Mac.

After months of beta testing, Apple released macOS 10.12.4 to the public this morning, bringing a host of performance improvements and new features, including Night Shift.

iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4 inch closer to public release

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iPhone 7 in hand
Apple's new iOS update is nearly ready for primetime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received new beta software updates today for iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4, possibly signaling that a public release is just around the corner.

The new updates come just a few days after Apple dropped the last betas of macOS 10.12.4 and iOS 10.3 on developers. Both updates come with a number of bug fixes and under the hood improvements to go with new features that were added in previous versions.

Activate Night Shift mode on your Mac and spare your eyes

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Night
Spare your eyes with Night Shift mode on Mac.
Photo: Pexels Laptop Computer Turned on While in Dark Area

If you use your computer before going to bed, you owe it to your eyes to turn on Night Shift on your Mac. The feature, which adjusts the color of your display to the warmer end of the light spectrum after sundown, eases eye strain and can make falling asleep easier.

Night Shift dials down the amount of blue light emitted by your display. Studies have shown that exposure to blue light, which makes images look bright and crisp, can have adverse effects during nighttime use of electronics: Getting too much blue light after dark can make it more difficult to drift off to sleep.

Apple seeds new betas for iOS, macOS and watchOS

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iOS
iOS 10.3 is full of new features.
Photo: Ste Smith

Developers received two new beta builds from Apple today for iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and macOS 10.12.4, just one week after the last versions were released.

The new builds for iOS 10.3 beta 4 and macOS 10.12.4 beta 4 can be downloaded by registered developers directly from the Apple’s dev portal. iOS 10.3 beta 4 can be installed directly to your iPad or iPhone if you have the previous build on your device.

Night Shift arrives on Mac in first macOS 10.12.4 beta

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15 inch MacBook Pro Silver
There's a new beta out for Macs.
Photo: Apple

A new macOS beta finally brings the popular Night Shift feature from iOS to the Mac.

Apple seeded macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 to all registered developers today, bringing Night Shift plus a host of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s computers. The new macOS beta comes alongside the first betas for iOS 10.3 and tvOS 10.2.

How to use Night Shift while saving power

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iPhone 6s Night Shift Low Power Mode
Oh, yeah. It's possible.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

We’ve been using Night Shift on our iPhones and iPads since it launched with iOS 9.3. We aren’t sure if it actually promotes good sleep, but we figure that lowering the amount of blue light that hits us after the sun goes down can’t be a bad idea. The only problem we’ve had with it is pretty simple, though: You can’t use it while Low Power Mode is on.

Low Power Mode is another cool feature; it turns off high-consumption stuff like Siri’s hands-free mode, mail fetch, and automatic downloads to stretch your battery life out until you can get your ailing iPhone to a charger. We assume that the reason you can’t run both simultaneously is that Night Shift is a juice-chugger, but we still miss it when our battery hits a critical low at night. But it is possible to have them both on at once. You just have to trick Siri a little.

Here’s how to do it.

iOS 10 concept video has everything we want at WWDC

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ios-10-concept-vittici-beckett
Federico Vittici and Sam Beckett brought a better Control Center and more to life.
Photo: Federico Vittici/MacStories, Sam Beckett

Since there is still much to learn about the upcoming iOS 10 debut presumably at WWDC this year, Federico Vittici of MacStories and concept designer Sam Beckett took it upon themselves to bring their dreams to life. They worked together to design an incredible concept video that fulfills Vittici’s wishes for the next version of iOS. The video is nothing short of stunning and their implementation of his (completely reasonable) feature requests will have you absolutely drooling.

Your guide to all the latest iOS, tvOS and watchOS features

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Apple tv, iPhone and Apple Watch
See all of Apple's latest software in action
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Along with the iPhone SE and new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple unleashed a slew of new software updates this week, bringing all-new features to your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Find out what’s awaiting you in the new Apple updates, as well as how to update all your Apple devices, in a series of Cult of Mac videos you can watch below.

Cool new things you can do after your iOS 9.3 update

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iOS 9.3 Beta 4

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 9.3 is out now for everyone, and the upgrade delivers some great new features that make Apple’s mobile platform better than ever.

With sweet additions like password-protected Notes, sleep-saving Night Shift and data-friendly Wi-Fi Assist, iOS 9.3 might be Apple’s biggest “dot” release yet.

Here’s a quick rundown of all the coolest things you can do once you’ve downloaded the iOS 9.3 update, which Apple released Monday.

How to clock in for the Night Shift in iOS 9.3

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iOS 9.3 Night Shift
Here's how to turn the lights down and settle in for the Night Shift.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Yesterday, the launch of iOS 9.3 added Night Shift to Apple’s mobile devices. It’s a really cool feature that might help make you healthier. Jailbreakers have enjoyed an app with the same functionality for years, but now it’s legitimate and poses less of a risk of completely jacking up your iPhone or iPad.

Night Shift gives you the option of warming up the light your display emits so that you get less harsh, blue rays before bed. The idea is that your screen’s usual output tricks your body into thinking that it’s still daytime, and that can make it harder to fall and stay asleep. So if you’re used to checking some e-mails or reading some news before you conk out, it might help you rest easier.

Here’s how to activate Night Shift’s soothing beams.

Apple gear leaks, rumors, how-tos, reviews and more

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Rumors, leaks, gear, and so much more.
Rumors, leaks, gear, and so much more.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

There are so many new leaks and rumors about upcoming Apple gear, we’re awash in joyful speculation. There’s the new iPhone 7 just for photographers, new iPad Air 3 details, and some hidden iPad Pro firmware features, just for starters.

Add to that some fine new how-tos, some great app roundups and a look at Apple’s biggest financial quarter yet, and you’ve got a fantastic digital magazine ready for downloading right now.

Here are the top stories from this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

Why you should use Night Shift mode in iOS 9.3

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iOS 9.3 Night Shift
Night Shift mode is a must in iOS 9.3.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS 9.3 might not look like much of an upgrade, but there’s one feature you should definitely be excited about. It’s called Night Shift, and it makes using your iPhone or iPad before bed more comfortable, more enjoyable and healthier by banishing blue light.

Here’s why you should use it once iOS 9.3 becomes available.

Is iOS 9.3 Night Shift toggle coming to Control Center?

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This official Apple image might prove Night Shift will be part of Control Center.
This official Apple image might prove Night Shift will be part of Control Center.
Photo: Apple

For our money, Night Shift is one of the coolest additions to iOS 9.3 beta 1. In fact, it could be the most important UI/UX improvement iOS has added in years.

Even the guys Apple ripped off to come up with the feature are cool with it. But it could get even better before iOS 9.3 is finally released to the general public.

F.lux creators seem cool about iOS 9.3’s ‘Night Shift’ mode

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The makers of F.lux are taking Apple stealing their thunder in stride.
The makers of F.lux are taking Apple stealing their thunder in stride.
Photo: F.lux

When iOS 9.3 announced Night Shift, a new mode that makes it less likely for your device’s light temperature to disturb your sleep schedule, many noted that it was virtually a carbon copy of F.lux, a Mac and jailbreak iOS app that we’ve previously called a Mac essential.

Now, the developer of F.lux is commenting on Night Shift, and while he’s broadly supportive of Apple’s move, he still wants Apple to allow F.lux on the App Store.

Everything new (and exciting!) coming in iOS 9.3

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ios-9-3-banner
This is a bigger update than anyone anticipated.
Photo: Apple

Apple released the developer beta for iOS 9.3 today. To the surprise of many, it actually includes quite a few brand new and useful features whether you’re in the classroom or trying to sleep — or both. There are so many new features that we can actually dedicate an entire post to explaining all of them. So here we are doing exactly that.

Note that since today marks iOS 9.3’s release only for developers, it might be a while before the rest of us see the final version show up in the Settings app. But without further ado, here is everything you can look forward to in iOS 9.3.