Apple sneaks 'dark mode' into iOS 11 to help save your eyes
Apple's WWDC 2017 keynote was absolutely jam-packed. We got the HomePod, macOS High Sierra, watchOS 4, iOS 11, and updates for MacBooks and iMacs.
But Apple kept a couple of details on the down low — one of which is a new "dark mode" in iOS 11.
The new feature made a cameo during the presentation on a slide that labeled it as "Redesigned Color Invert." The beta of iOS 11 is available only to developers right now, but dark mode will come to everyone when the new version is publicly launched this fall.
Apple has an inverted colors option, which was created for better visual accessibility. The option was great for people with brightness sensitivity or some color blindness. But it was also known to sometimes warp colors and images to the extreme.
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But the new update appears to work a lot better. It gives your phone less of a glow, so you won't disturb others in a dark room, and it doesn't invert colors in the same way. In fact, the new setting has two modes: Smart Invert, which the inversion intelligently, leaving many colors the same, and not inverting layouts that are already dark. But if you liked the way the current hidden dark mode works, you can choose Classic Invert.
If you have the iOS 11 beta and want to test out the new inverted colors, simply go to Settings > General> Accessibility > Display Accommodations > Invert Colors.
But for anyone out there who relies on the original version of Apple's "dark mode," there's no need to worry. Apple hasn't removed this version from your iPhone.
Molly is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While there, she studied life sciences communication and conservation biology. Molly has worked in multiple communications positions at UW and recently acted as a science intern at Business Insider in NYC. She is a lover of all things science and tech related, and is always ready to take on a new challenge. When Molly isn't writing, she fills her time training for IRONMAN events, acting as the unofficial #1 Wisconsin athletics fan, and trying as many new foods as her budget will allow.
