Apple has unveiled a new ‘night mode’ for iOS devices designed to help owners sleep.
The new ‘night shift’ mode was unveiled as part of a beta version of iOS9.3, the firm’s next update.
Other improvements include a new education mode for teachers, and updated news and health apps.
‘Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep,’ Apple said.
‘Night Shift uses your iOS device’s clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location.
‘Then it automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum, making it easier on your eyes.
‘In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings.’
A new education app also allows students to share iPads easily.
‘When a 1:1 student-to-iPad ratio isn’t possible, Shared iPad offers an elegant solution that lets students enjoy the benefits of having their own iPad in whatever classroom they’re in. They simply log in to any iPad, and their content is ready to go.’
A new education app also allows students to share iPads easily.
Late last year, Amazon began to roll out a feature known as ‘Blue Shade’ on its Kindle Fire tablets which limits the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes.
The feature can be turned on or off with one tap, and also lets you adjust the filter’s colour settings and brightness.
The device will automatically adjust the filtering when the colour is tweaked so that blue light is always suppressed.
Blue Shade is rolling out today for the company’s Fire HD 10, Fire HD 8 and Fire tablets as part of a free software update.
It follows the introduction of several new apps designed to transform the blue light on mobile phones into red light.
According to an in-depth report by Andy Betts at makeuseof.com most of the blue light filtering apps work in a similar way.
Amazon has begun to roll out a feature known as ‘Blue Shade’ on its Fire tablets which limits the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes. Blue light can disrupt the body’s internal clock, claim scientists
Amazon has begun to roll out a feature known as ‘Blue Shade’ on its Fire tablets which limits the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes. Blue light can disrupt the body’s internal clock, claim scientists
When the clock on your phone shows that the sun has set, the apps place a red overlay on the screen to transform its colour temperature.
‘This gives everything a red hue, which takes a little getting used to,’ the report says.
‘But it also cancels out the negative effects of the blue light, and massively decreases glare.
‘Even if you’re skeptical about it improving your sleep, you will immediately notice a reduction in eye strain when using your phone in a dimly lit room.’
Smartphones and other gadgets used before bed can cause restless nights because their light causes melatonin suppression – a chemical which controls the body clock.
But there are some positives, according to a recent study, that looks at how blue light can make the brain more alert if it is used at the right time.
Researchers at Mid Sweden University compared the effects of caffeine and blue light on the brain and found them both to have a positive effect.
Interestingly, people exposed to blue light performed better on tests of brain function that included a distraction. The same distraction, however, proved too much for caffeine users, who performed poorly.
‘Blue light and caffeine demonstrated distinct effects on aspects of psychomotor function,’ said the authors of the report. ‘It has the potential to positively influence a range of settings where cognitive function and alertness are important.
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Tags : Apple
