Smartphone manufacturer disgraced: Popular mobile phone feature is actually useless

With Apple it's called "Night Shift", with Android it's often just the night mode - both features promise a healthier sleep by filtering the blue light on the cell phone display in the evening hours. But is that actually the case? A study proves exactly the opposite, because the popular mobile phone function is actually completely useless.

The "blue light" from computer and cell phone screens keeps you awake and should be avoided in the hours before bed. But who would want to do without iPhone, iPad and Co. in bed? That's why "Night Shift" (iOS) or "Night mode" (Android) has been available on the devices for many years. It automatically switches the colors of the smartphone display to a warmer color spectrum and is supposed to be easy on the eyes. This also implies the promise of a healthier, because better, sleep . A fallacy, as has now been repeatedly shown.

Popular but useless: night mode on smartphones

This is the result of a study by the BYU from last year (source: Sleep Health). Three conditions were tested, and participants were randomly assigned: iPhone use with Night Shift turned on, iPhone use with Night Shift turned off, and no phone use—all in the hour before bedtime for seven consecutive nights.

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What was the result? In short, there were no significant differences in sleep outcomes between the three experimental groups. This should make it clear: Apple's Night Shift and similar functions from other manufacturers may subjectively be "easy on the eyes", but they don't ensure better sleep - quite an exposure. BYU professor Chad Jensen cautions:

"While there is a lot of evidence that blue light increases alertness and makes it more difficult to fall asleep, it's important to think about how much of this stimulation accounts for light emission compared to other cognitive and psychological stimuli."

Which is really crucial for sleep

In the end, this probably means that the light is not the decisive factor, but rather the activity of using the smartphone itself in the end makes it difficult to get a good night's sleep. Therefore: Night Shift and Co. do not protect against actually doing without. Simply turn everything off and switch off an hour before going to bed – this probably helps more than this popular but completely useless cell phone function.