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f.lux is a medical NECESSITY...Why won't Apple approve?

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Kelped

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 24, 2010
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I have flux, a light filter app only available in Cydia, installed on my jailbroken iPhone and iPad. This app is literally a life saver for me because I suffer from a sleep disorder that has previously wreaked havoc on my health. My job requires me to work long hours, and before f.lux I was only able to sleep 3-5 hours every night. Now I'm getting 7-8 hours of sleep thanks to this amazing little app.

What I do not understand is why Apple won't allow such an app in their App Store. This app is a medical necessity for the many people out there with sleep disorders (many undiagnosed). Is there a way we can petition Apple to approve this App? Apple's App Store rules are draconian, and it's time for change.

Until then, I'm stuck using iOS 6...and donating large sums of money to the jailbreaking community!


more on dangers of light pollution:
The natural 24-hour cycle of light and dark helps maintain precise alignment of circadian biological rhythms, the general activation of the central nervous system and various biological and cellular processes, and entrainment of melatonin release from the pineal gland. Pervasive use of nighttime lighting disrupts these endogenous processes and creates potentially harmful health effects and/or hazardous situations with varying degrees of harm. The latter includes the generation of glare from roadway, property, and other artificial lighting sources that can create unsafe driving conditions, especially for older drivers. More direct health effects of nighttime lighting may be attributable to disruption of the sleep-wake cycle and suppression of melatonin release. Even low intensity nighttime light has the capability of suppressing melatonin release. In various laboratory models of cancer, melatonin serves as a circulating anticancer signal and suppresses tumor growth. Limited epidemiological studies support the hypothesis that nighttime lighting and/or repetitive disruption of circadian rhythms increases cancer risk; most attention in this arena has been devoted to breast cancer. Further information is required to evaluate the relative role of sleep versus the period of darkness in certain diseases or on mediators of certain chronic diseases or conditions including obesity. Due to the nearly ubiquitous exposure to light at inappropriate times relative to endogenous circadian rhythms, a need exists for further multidisciplinary research on occupational and environmental exposure to light-at-night, the risk of cancer, and effects on various chronic diseases.
Click to expand...
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a12-csaph4-lightpollution-summary.pdf

flux website:
http://justgetflux.com/research.html
 
I agree with you.

I have it on my laptop and it is amazing.

My iOS device is so bright when I wake up to check the time or turn off my alarm...
 
I wouldn't say it was a medical necessity. If you suffer that badly you shouldn't be looking at screens before you go to bed. Simple as that.

f.lux hasn't even been admitted to the app store as it uses API's that aren't allowed in the app store, simple as. This is not Apple not letting the software in, it's that the software is doing things that are simply not possible via the app store method.

Human beings have been on the planet for a very very long time now, and we've been looking at computer screens since the late 80's with no problems. flux has been around for a couple of years. It's not a medical necessity.

Also, it's not even on Android, or Windows mobile.
 
dontpannic said:
Also, it's not even on Android, or Windows mobile.
Click to expand...

There is an app that is similar. Although it's not as good.

But yeah, if it is such a problem for you, there has to be a way for you to deal with it, other than blaming Apple for protecting your device from unauthorized APIs. Try looking for a screen protector that is tinted.
 
Kelped said:
I have flux, a light filter app only available in Cydia, installed on my jailbroken iPhone and iPad. This app is literally a life saver for me because I suffer from a sleep disorder that has previously wreaked havoc on my health. My job requires me to work long hours, and before f.lux I was only able to sleep 3-5 hours every night. Now I'm getting 7-8 hours of sleep thanks to this amazing little app.

What I do not understand is why Apple won't allow such an app in their App Store. This app is a medical necessity for the many people out there with sleep disorders (many undiagnosed). Is there a way we can petition Apple to approve this App? Apple's App Store rules are draconian, and it's time for change.

Until then, I'm stuck using iOS 6...and donating large sums of money to the jailbreaking community!


more on dangers of light pollution:

http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a12-csaph4-lightpollution-summary.pdf

flux website:
http://justgetflux.com/research.html
Click to expand...

Use gunnar glasses if it bothers you so much.
 
Clearly much easier to tell people they should deal on their own and essentially be quiet than to perhaps provide a supporting voice for availability of fairly sime functionality that has even already been developed. Ah, the Internet.
 
This is my biggest complaint about iOS 7... I want this and zephyr and a way to swipe to lock and a quick reply and I have no reason to jailbreak ever again.
 
Kelped said:
.. Stuck using iOS 6...
Click to expand...

iOS 6 is a bit easier on the eyes as it is.

My best advice for you, from someone who is particularly sensitive to light, is to set triple click home to invert colors in the Accessibility menu. That way, when you find your screen too bright, triple click your home button to invert the colors.

For ios 7 especially, as it is nearly all white, this is a life saver in dark settings. Black background with white text is vastly superior to simply a softer color tone.
 
A work-around is taking a melatonin supplement. However, not as good as the real thing and best to avoid a situation where a supplement is necessary.

Edit: This post is OT and simply an effort to immediately help anyone affected by this. I clearly didn't call it a solution and "avoiding a situation" includes native iOS functionality.
 
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I'm confused. Why not just flip your phone over when you sleep. The design is flush. No light can escape. Is it that you check it through out the nite? If so, stop. And sleep.
 
Am I missing something? The problem us "nighttime lighting"? If the screen is off, surely it's not a problem and if you're trying to sleep, surely the screen is off?
Does turning the brightness down not help?
 
bandrews said:
Am I missing something? The problem us "nighttime lighting"? If the screen is off, surely it's not a problem and if you're trying to sleep, surely the screen is off?
Does turning the brightness down not help?
Click to expand...

The problem is using the phone before you go to sleep. The cold blue light messes up your body's natural sleep cycle. Setting the screen temperature to a much warmer level (like candle light) really makes a difference.

iOS 7 exacerbates this problem because so many of the screens are white based.

I've submitted an enhancement request to Apple as suggested above.
 
Patrick J said:
The problem is using the phone before you go to sleep. The cold blue light messes up your body's natural sleep cycle. Setting the screen temperature to a much warmer level (like candle light) really makes a difference.

iOS 7 exacerbates this problem because so many of the screens are white based.

I've submitted an enhancement request to Apple as suggested above.
Click to expand...

Sounds horrid. Unfortunately, I wouldn't hold you breath.
 
flux will never be on a non JB'd iDevice. It uses system level APIs that are not available to any apps but Apple. The best you hope for is Apple to ad a feature like it within iOS. It's one of the reasons I'll be on the JB train for iOS7 if or when it comes.
 
Tzuten said:
flux will never be on a non JB'd iDevice. It uses system level APIs that are not available to any apps but Apple. The best you hope for is Apple to ad a feature like it within iOS. It's one of the reasons I'll be on the JB train for iOS7 if or when it comes.
Click to expand...

Apple could easily add a special melatonin friendly mode in Accessibility settings.
 
Patrick J said:
The problem is using the phone before you go to sleep. The cold blue light messes up your body's natural sleep cycle. Setting the screen temperature to a much warmer level (like candle light) really makes a difference.

iOS 7 exacerbates this problem because so many of the screens are white based.

I've submitted an enhancement request to Apple as suggested above.
Click to expand...

Then don't use your phone before you go to bed. Or set your lock screen to black, swipe up to lower brightness before you unlock. Or just whine and complain.
 
Patrick J said:
Apple could easily add a special melatonin friendly mode in Accessibility settings.
Click to expand...

You're right, they could.. And I would love it, especially in iOS7. I guess I'll go submit a suggestion to Apple now...
 
dontpannic said:
Human beings have been on the planet for a very very long time now, and we've been looking at computer screens since the late 80's with no problems.
Click to expand...

And we've been falling asleep in front of our electron-blue television sets for a lot longer than that.

A.
 
Patrick J said:
The problem is using the phone before you go to sleep. The cold blue light messes up your body's natural sleep cycle. Setting the screen temperature to a much warmer level (like candle light) really makes a difference.

iOS 7 exacerbates this problem because so many of the screens are white based.

I've submitted an enhancement request to Apple as suggested above.
Click to expand...

A couple of minutes shouldn't affect your sleep pattern. Now, if you were hours looking at the screen before bed then that is another story. This flux effect is more psychological than biological if you were using it just a couple of minutes before bed.
 
Alrescha said:
And we've been falling asleep in front of our electron-blue television sets for a lot longer than that.

A.
Click to expand...

And it's been affecting our health for a very long time. Our circadian rhythm is something we don't understand fully yet, and the electric light changed our sleeping rhythms substancially for the first time in millions of years.

gentlefury said:
Then don't use your phone before you go to bed. Or set your lock screen to black, swipe up to lower brightness before you unlock. Or just whine and complain.
Click to expand...

Even though my wallpaper is a dark pattern, it doesn't help in messages, or mail, or calendar. Even on the lowest brightness it's still a harsh blue light.
 
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