How to Make Your iPhone Display Dimmer Than Standard Brightness Controls Allow - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

How to Make Your iPhone Display Dimmer Than Standard Brightness Controls Allow

by

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.

how to reduce screen brightness further in iOS 1
However, if the lowest setting offered by the Brightness level just isn't dim enough for you, there are a couple of ways to make your screen even darker. One method we've covered previously is to adjust white point using the Accessibility Shortcut. Another way is to enable a low light filter, which you can do by following the steps below.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Accessibility.
    how to reduce screen brightness further in iOS 2

  4. Tap Zoom.
  5. Tap Zoom Region.
    how to reduce screen brightness further in iOS 3

  6. Select Full Screen Zoom and return to the main Zoom menu.
  7. Tap Zoom Filter.
  8. Select Low Light and return to the main Zoom menu.
    how to reduce screen brightness further in iOS 4

  9. Now, turn on Zoom by toggling the switch at the top of the Zoom menu.
  10. Double-tap the screen with three fingers to zoom out to fullscreen.

how to reduce iphone screen brightness5
Your device's display brightness should now be extra dim. Note that you can disable the low light filter at any time: Simply triple-tap the screen with three fingers, tap Choose Filter from the overlay panel and then select None.

Top Rated Comments

McFreggle Avatar
102 months ago
Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut > Reduce White Point.

Much simpler than the procedure described in this article. Triple-click on home button (or side button) for reducing the brightness. Triple-clicking again to increase it again.

You're welcome.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sovon Halder Avatar
102 months ago
Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut > Reduce White Point.

Much simpler than the procedure described in this article. Triple-click on home button (or side button) for reducing the brightness. Triple-clicking again to increase it again.

You're welcome.
WARNING : This triple clicking home button accessibility feature brings a noticeable lag into double clicking function.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jacjustjac Avatar
102 months ago
There’s an easier way to invoke this. At the bottom of the accessibility page, there’s one called “Accessibility Shortcut”. Select Zoom (and I also have Reduce White Point, which in my opinion is more effective). Now when you triple tap your home button (or the sleep wake button if you don’t have one), your screen can instantly dim. It’s that easy.

Lastly, I use Color Filters (Color Tint) found in Display Accomadations to make an extreme version of Night Shift, whereby my screen removes almost 99% of blue and green light, making my screen appear an ultra red. This in my opinion is more effective than lowering the brightness and Night Shift alone, because you can actually have your screen at a comfortable brightness to read black and white text, but still fall easily asleep.

I’d love to help write and article or video on this process, because I use it every night and have no problems falling asleep while using my phone, and I think others can benefit from it too.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
102 months ago
Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut > Reduce White Point.

Much simpler than the procedure described in this article. Triple-click on home button (or side button) for reducing the brightness. Triple-clicking again to increase it again.

You're welcome.
Any difference between this and Reduce White Point?

Is it redundent to have both enabled?
I was just about to reply to this. The method macrumours shown is far too long-winded.
Yeah I was thinking the same when I read that post. Way too many steps.
Pretty sure Reduce White Point doesn't dim it as much as the Zoom Low Light filter does.
Exactly... sadly this zoom method has been doing the rounds in the last day or so and this is just 100% lazy copy and paste crap.
This method (as well as the Reduce White Point one) have been around for quite a while (at least a number of years and iOS versions).
[doublepost=1547767528][/doublepost]
Has anyone ever complained that their iPhone was too bright?
Sure, in various dark environments, for one.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
102 months ago
The battery
I’m not a fan of the minimum brightness in phones currently. It’s still way too bright if you’re in a dark room/half asleep
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ItzJordan Avatar
102 months ago
Theres probably a thread already, but does anyone else’s iPhone X/XS/XS Max experience the display to dim to a max brightness of 50% when it is quite warm (or doing instense work loads). Also the CPU and graphics seem to be throttled as everything lags while the device is warm to touch.

Experienced it heavily on the iPhone X and worked with Apple to try a resolve this with diagnostics. The performance throttling is less noticeable on the XS Max but the brightness being maxed at 50% is still noticeable...

Intensive usage needs to be occurring in order this to happen. Using Personal Hotspot (downloading/uploading files) while on a FaceTime call on the iPhone usually does the trick... also room temp needs to be around 20°c or warmer maybe. Only noticed in the summer time and noticing the past few days, as I’m over in Australia! :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products Today

Thursday November 5, 2026 12:59 am PST by
Apple is launching five new products on Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from today: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
duo aquarium

More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try

Friday November 6, 2026 3:27 pm PST by
When the iPhone Duo launched, we shared a list of some of the fun apps developers created for the new form factor. Two weeks out, developers are continuing to come up with fresh ideas, so we thought we'd share some of our favorites. Games Marbles Unhinged ($2.99) - Marbles Unhinged is a marble maze designed for the Duo. When you fold it, the floor turns into a ramp. If you stand the top...
silver iphone 18 pro

Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year

Friday November 6, 2026 6:07 am PST by
Apple plans to merge the iPhone's Action button with the Camera Control starting next year, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker claimed that a single press of the combined button would open the camera, while a long press would trigger the function assigned to the Action button. They explicitly clarified that the dedicated Action button would ...
Latest Stories
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
17 hours ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
17 hours ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
1 day ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
2 days ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
2 days ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
2 days ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
2 days ago
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
2 days ago
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
2 days ago
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
2 days ago
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
2 days ago
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
2 days ago
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
2 days ago
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
2 days ago
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
2 days ago
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
2 days ago
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
2 days ago
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
3 days ago
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
3 days ago
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
3 days ago
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
3 days ago
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
3 days ago
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
3 days ago
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
3 days ago
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
3 days ago
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
3 days ago
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
3 days ago
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
3 days ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
3 days ago