To use Night Shift on an iPhone, open Control Center, touch and hold the brightness slider, then tap Night Shift. To have it switch on by itself every evening, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift and turn on Scheduled.
Night Shift moves the colors of the display toward the warmer end of the spectrum, which Apple says makes the screen easier on your eyes at night. People often call this “turning off blue light,” but Night Shift changes the color balance of the screen. It does not make the display blue-light-free.
What You Need Before You Start
- A supported iPhone: Apple lists Night Shift for iPhone 5s and later, so every recent model has it.
- Current iOS: the steps below follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27. Labels on much older versions may differ slightly.
- Location Services (optional): only needed for the automatic sunset-to-sunrise schedule. A schedule with fixed times is the alternative if you keep location turned off.
The steps come from Apple’s Use Night Shift on your iPhone page and the Adjust the screen brightness and color on iPhone chapter of the iPhone User Guide.
Turn Night Shift On Right Now From Control Center
Control Center is the panel of quick settings that slides over whatever you are doing. It is the fastest way to turn Night Shift on or off, and it works at any time of day.
- Open Control Center. On an iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X and later), swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone SE or an iPhone 8 and earlier, swipe up from the bottom edge.
- Find the brightness slider. It is the tall bar marked with a sun icon.
- Touch and hold the brightness slider until it expands and more buttons appear.
- Tap Night Shift. The screen takes on a warmer, more amber tint.
- Tap an empty part of the screen to close the expanded slider, then close Control Center.
To turn it off, repeat the steps and tap Night Shift again. Apple notes that turning it on by hand is useful when you are in a darkened room during the day.
If swiping down opens your notifications instead, you started too close to the middle of the screen. Start the swipe farther to the right. Apple’s Control Center instructions show the gesture for each iPhone type.
Schedule Night Shift to Turn On Automatically
A schedule saves you from remembering the button every evening. Apple says Night Shift runs from sunset to sunrise by default, but you can pick your own hours.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Display & Brightness.
- Tap Night Shift.
- Turn on Scheduled. A From row appears below the switch.
- Tap From, then select Sunset to Sunrise or Custom Schedule.
- If you chose Custom Schedule, tap the time options and set when Night Shift should turn on and when it should turn off.
- Go back one screen to save your choice.
With Sunset to Sunrise, the iPhone uses its clock and your location to work out when it is nighttime where you are, so the hours move with the seasons. A custom schedule keeps the same clock times all year. For example, someone who reads in bed from 9 PM might set 9 PM to 6 AM.
A schedule controls when Night Shift starts. If you set it up at noon, do not expect the screen to change until the start time arrives.
Change How Warm the Screen Looks
If the tint looks too orange, or too faint to notice, adjust its strength.
- Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.
- Find the slider under Color Temperature.
- Drag it toward the warmer end for a stronger amber tint, or toward the cooler end for a milder one.
The slider sets how strong the tint is whenever Night Shift is active. It does not change the schedule.
How to Check That Night Shift Is On
- Look at the screen: colors should look warmer than before, which is easiest to see on a white background.
- Check Control Center: touch and hold the brightness slider. The Night Shift button there shows its current state, and tapping it switches between on and off.
- Check Settings: open Display & Brightness > Night Shift to see whether Scheduled is on and which hours are set.
Turn Night Shift Off or Remove the Schedule
Tapping the Night Shift button in Control Center turns off the current tint. If a schedule is set, the warm colors come back at the next start time. To stop that:
- Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.
- Turn off Scheduled.
Night Shift then stays off until you turn it on yourself. Nothing else on the phone changes, and you can switch the schedule back on later with the same steps.
Night Shift vs. Dark Mode vs. True Tone
These three display settings sit next to each other in Control Center and in Settings, and they are easy to mix up. They are independent, so you can use any combination.
| Setting | What Apple says it does | Where to switch it |
|---|---|---|
| Night Shift | Shifts display colors to the warmer end of the spectrum | Control Center, or Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift |
| Dark Mode | Gives the iPhone a dark color scheme for low-light places | Control Center, or Settings > Display & Brightness |
| True Tone | Adapts the color and intensity of the display to the light around you | Control Center, or Settings > Display & Brightness |
If you want black backgrounds instead of a warm tint, see our guide to turning on Dark Mode on an iPhone. Brightness is a fourth, separate control: Night Shift changes color, not how bright the screen is.
If Night Shift Is Missing or Will Not Stay On
Sunset to Sunrise is not listed
Apple says the Sunset to Sunrise option is not available when Location Services or Setting Time Zone is turned off. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn on Location Services. Then tap System Services on the same screen and turn on Setting Time Zone. If you prefer to leave location off, use Custom Schedule instead.
Night Shift turns itself off
Apple warns that some display accessibility settings, including Invert Colors, Grayscale, and Increase Contrast, might turn off Night Shift or True Tone. If you rely on one of those settings, decide which matters more before changing it. Our guide to inverting colors on an iPhone explains where they are.
The Night Shift button is not in Control Center
The button is not on the main Control Center screen. It only appears after you touch and hold the brightness slider. A quick tap or a drag changes the brightness instead.
The screen is still orange after you turn it off
Check for a schedule first, then look at True Tone. Our orange-screen troubleshooting guide goes through each setting that can tint the display. If the screen looks darker than expected, see why an iPhone keeps dimming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Night Shift block all blue light?
No. Apple describes Night Shift as shifting the display colors to the warmer end of the spectrum. It does not claim that the feature removes blue light completely, and its support pages make no promise about sleep.
Which iPhones have Night Shift?
Apple lists iPhone 5s and later. On current iOS, the setting is at Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.
Can I use Night Shift during the day?
Yes. The Control Center button works at any hour. Apple suggests it for times when you are in a darkened room during the day.
Can Night Shift and Dark Mode be on together?
Yes. They are separate settings, and each has its own schedule options. Dark Mode changes the color scheme of menus and supported apps, while Night Shift warms the colors of the whole display.
Does Night Shift work the same way on an iPad?
Apple covers both devices on the same Night Shift support page, but the supported models differ. Follow the separate iPad Night Shift instructions for a tablet.
Next Step
Turn on Scheduled with Sunset to Sunrise, use the phone for an evening, then adjust Color Temperature until the tint is comfortable. If the warm colors bother you for photos or color-sensitive work, tap the Night Shift button in Control Center to switch it off for the moment.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.