Apple Approves 'FlexBright' iOS App That Adjusts Display Temperature [Update: Pulled]

[Krizoitz]

How do they let this slip by but something of actual value like f.lux get's blocked...

f.lux was using private (i.e. reserved for Apple) APIs and was being distributed in an unapproved fashion.

FlexLight uses public (i.e. Approved for 3rd party apps) APIs and is distributed in the approved fashion.

Yes f.lux had a much smoother approach but that's because it was tapping in to parts of the system it wasn't allowed too. FlexLight made compromises in design to do it in an approved albeit clunkier fashion.
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Or, and here's a wild idea, don't leave your display turned on all night while you're asleep and not using it.

That's not what this is for. It's for using your phone before sleeping. Studies indicate that too much blue light close to bed time can make it difficult to fall asleep. People aren't keeping their phone display on all night.

 

[C DM]

Yah, and none of that has anything to do with White vs Orange lighting.

And what does it have to do with then?
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Difference is F.lux is free while Apple gets a 30% cut of every FlexBright app purchase. Paid apps have preferential treatment over free ones.

We'll just conveniently ignore the actual larger differences that actually play a role in it all, right?

 

[ladeer]

How the heck are these guys doing these system-wide adjustments without using private APIs?

And if they can do this, shouldn't we be able to do system-wide full screen calibration (including hardware-based)?

i used to work at apple (operating system engineering!) and even i am surprised....how?

 

[dk001]

Still prefer the stock Apple app.

Still prefer f.lux.

 

[teslo]

they 'worked with apple' on the implementation and then had the balls to reveal that UI and design TO apple? their designer is my hero or my enemy, i'm not sure which.

 

[dadudeness]

What we got:

The app does not use private APIs to change the screen temperature, instead utilizing a "native objective-c library that filters the blue light from the iOS screen."

What we want to know:

What library is this app using?

How the heck are these guys doing these system-wide adjustments without using private APIs?

As an iOS dev, this was my thought exactly. I'm unaware of any such mechanism that would enable this.

i am surprised....how?

Has anyone tried the app yet?
Is it that they found a way to adjust colors while the app is launched and managed to keep the active active in backgroud all the time? What happens if you close it via app-switcher?

I cant believe there is a way to adjust color-settings on a system wide basis even if the app is closed. But actually cant believe there is a way to achieve this with a backgrounded app either.
Interesting.

 

[RuffyYoshi]

Goddamn that UI design is an eyesore. And that's saying something on iOS nowadays.

 

[H2SO4]

Don't really understand why anyone would buy this with Night Shift days away. But if the dev was smart it would .99 it pronto & get what it can while it can.

BTW I enjoy Night Shift. It's easier on the eyes at night, especially w/ no other indirect light.

NightShift is only available for later devices/OS versions.
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they 'worked with apple' on the implementation and then had the balls to reveal that UI and design TO apple? their designer is my hero or my enemy, i'm not sure which.

iPhone 6 sticky outy camera…….just as ugly. All Apples work.

 

[s_m_a_c_r_u_m_o_r]

Humans are odd beings, and we forget history. We complain when our iPhone screens have a yellow tint, but we are happy to buy an app that makes the display appear yellow when it becomes a trend to do so.
[doublepost=1457429331][/doublepost]This Night Shift mode isn't a good way to showcase iPhone or iPad devices. Photos of the feature in use make the device look very strange and unattractive.
[doublepost=1457429388][/doublepost]What is the science behind Night Mode exactly or is this a gimmick?
[doublepost=1457429659][/doublepost]Inverting the display colour offers a more soothing viewing experience when reading webpages. Having said that, a lot of web page development needs to improve. Stark black text on stark white backgrounds is just poor design. Something a little more subtle goes a long way to improving user experience.

 

[H2SO4]

Humans are odd beings, and we forget history. We complain when our iPhone screens have a yellow tint, but we are happy to buy an app that makes the display appear yellow when it becomes a trend to do so.

Me wanting to CHOOSE when my screen hue changes isn’t even close to the same thing as having a fault that keeps it that way permanently.

 

[s_m_a_c_r_u_m_o_r]

Me wanting to CHOOSE when my screen hue changes isn’t even close to the same thing as having a fault that keeps it that way permanently.

Can you please detail your experience with changing the hue? Why would you want to do it? Why is it is necessary? Why is this a choice that users actually need?

 

[H2SO4]

Can you please detail your experience with changing the hue? Why would you want to do it? Why is it is necessary? Why is this a choice that users actually need?

Try it for yourself. Wait unitl night and look at your iPhone screen. For some people the stark whiteness/blueness it is at best uncomfortable and at worst messes with their sleep pattern.
It’s far more comfortable to have a slight yellowing. If there is more than text on your page inverting the screen is less than useless.
Try this, get somebody to get some pictures of people you’re familiar with and invert the screen BEFORE you look at them. You’ll probably find that you can’t tell who they are. That’s how useful it is with images and video.

But, you’ve missed an important part. If the yellow is a fault then it shouldn’t be that way at all.

 

[John Mcgregor]

3 bucks for this horrible UI? What century is this?

 

[Blue Sun]

Don't really understand why anyone would buy this with Night Shift days away. But if the dev was smart it would .99 it pronto & get what it can while it can.

BTW I enjoy Night Shift. It's easier on the eyes at night, especially w/ no other indirect light.

There are many devices that won't get nightshift, like my iPad 3rd gen. For people like me this app is useful.

 

[rsdotscot]

There really needs to be a UI standard that must be met for app store submissions. This is fugly.

 

[BulkSlash]

Come on guys, having a large grey rectangle right in the middle of your UI is obviously so utterly brilliant and genius we mere mortals just cannot comprehend the sheer ingenuity of it!

 

[chrono1081]

Apple must be going really soft on the HIG (Human Interface Guidelines) to let that UI in the app store. Its so terrible!

 

[SvP]

These color-temperature apps are completely useless to help sleep patterns. I tried Flux for a year.. complete waste.

The only thing it did was change everything to orange.

So you didn't have a problem with your melatonine production getting off whack. I'm honestly glad for you. But it does work if you have problems sleeping due to melatonine disturbances, ánd if your computer and/or phone are the cause. Sitting in front of a 50' TV will diminish the effect of less blue light on your phone screen. This has been my main reason to JB for 7 years now and i'm very very happy they integrated it.

 

[selfsilent]

Difference is F.lux is free while Apple gets a 30% cut of every FlexBright app purchase. Paid apps have preferential treatment over free ones.

No, the difference is that f.lux broke Apple's rules on using private APIs and FlexBright didn't.

 

[SvP]

That's downright green, almost neon really, rather than warm.....

camera's and monitors...

 

[jonnysods]

Didn't they boot f.lux for doing this??

 

[H2SO4]

There really needs to be a UI standard that must be met for app store submissions. This is fugly.

Good job there isn’t or IOS7/8/9 would never have come to be.

 

[laszlo182]

What does that 'Dark mode' do?

 

[Gudi]

Article Link: Apple Approves 'FlexBright' iOS App That Adjusts Display Temperature

Another well written article with all the information one could possibly desire.
Great journalism, thank you MacRumors!

 

[Boomish69]

Trying to figure out the point here. I have the 9.3 beta on all my gear and its freakin awesome.....so whats the point?

I think the point is 9.3 will be fine on my iPhone6 but it's not included on my iPad 2 once again Apple trying to lock out features for older devices. Well thats as I understand it, I could be wrong