Nightstand mode dimming

[HiVolt]

I've had and Apple watch of some sort for nearly 10 years now. One feature I absolutely love is the Nightstand feature, I've used it since day one. But what always annoyed me, and annoys me even more with every new watch I get, is how god awful bright the displayed time is. I've looked everywhere, but is there a setting to dim this somehow? I can't believe in 10 years someone at Apple would not have thought that a dimmer setting should exist, since they existed on LED alarm clocks for decades.

This must have probably been asked & answered before, but I did a search and couldn't find anything...

 

[jz0309]

I've had and Apple watch of some sort for nearly 10 years now. One feature I absolutely love is the Nightstand feature, I've used it since day one. But what always annoyed me, and annoys me even more with every new watch I get, is how god awful bright the displayed time is. I've looked everywhere, but is there a setting to dim this somehow? I can't believe in 10 years someone at Apple would not have thought that a dimmer setting should exist, since they existed on LED alarm clocks for decades.

This must have probably been asked & answered before, but I did a search and couldn't find anything...

Not aware that you can do that, mine goes dark during the night so it doesn't bother me.
Have you provided feedback to Apple?

 

[HiVolt]

Not aware that you can do that, mine goes dark during the night so it doesn't bother me.
Have you provided feedback to Apple?

Yeah it does go dark, but my nightstands are sort of integrated into the bed, so every movement, triggers the watch to turn on.

 

[ChristianBauer]

Hey HiVolt,


Totally get the frustration—Nightstand mode is a lifesaver for me too, but that blinding time display? It's like staring at a mini sun. I've scoured settings on my Ultra 2 and nada; Apple's stuck on "one brightness fits all" since the early days. Closest hack is cranking down the wrist detection sensitivity or using a dark room mode via Shortcuts, but it's not perfect. You're not alone; it's been a gripe forever. What watch model are you on now?

 

[jz0309]

Yeah it does go dark, but my nightstands are sort of integrated into the bed, so every movement, triggers the watch to turn on.

Do you have an iPhone with AOD? I just replaced my 13PM with a 17PM and it dims down significantly, and while I have it lying down flat on a MagSafe charger over night, I'm pretty sure it has a nightstand mode too and that brightness might be easier on you, but I'm guessing here

 

[HiVolt]

Do you have an iPhone with AOD? I just replaced my 13PM with a 17PM and it dims down significantly, and while I have it lying down flat on a MagSafe charger over night, I'm pretty sure it has a nightstand mode too and that brightness might be easier on you, but I'm guessing here

Yeah I have a 15 Pro Max, but I don't really like the idea of the displaying staying on all the time on OLED. Not sure if the Nightstand mode on iPhone has the same functionality to be able to wake on sensing movement.

 

[HiVolt]

Hey HiVolt,


Totally get the frustration—Nightstand mode is a lifesaver for me too, but that blinding time display? It's like staring at a mini sun. I've scoured settings on my Ultra 2 and nada; Apple's stuck on "one brightness fits all" since the early days. Closest hack is cranking down the wrist detection sensitivity or using a dark room mode via Shortcuts, but it's not perfect. You're not alone; it's been a gripe forever. What watch model are you on now?

I am on the Series 10, so the display is quite bright.

 

[jz0309]

Yeah I have a 15 Pro Max, but I don't really like the idea of the displaying staying on all the time on OLED. Not sure if the Nightstand mode on iPhone has the same functionality to be able to wake on sensing movement.

Maybe a question to ask in the iPhone forum?

 

[kitKAC]

Yeah I have a 15 Pro Max, but I don't really like the idea of the displaying staying on all the time on OLED. Not sure if the Nightstand mode on iPhone has the same functionality to be able to wake on sensing movement.

It does.

 

[HiVolt]

It does.

Thanks I will try it

 

[Ethan.Albano]

Yeah I have a 15 Pro Max, but I don't really like the idea of the displaying staying on all the time on OLED. Not sure if the Nightstand mode on iPhone has the same functionality to be able to wake on sensing movement.

It uses the FaceID and proximity sensors to detect motion too, not movement AFAIK.

Also, OLEDs when dim are very resistant to burn-in. That, coupled with the various clock designs that move significantly as the minutes pass, should help assuage those concerns.

Source: I've used stand-by mode every night and the AOD every day on my own 15PM since getting it in December of 23. No burn-in perceptible, at all.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Yeah it does go dark, but my nightstands are sort of integrated into the bed, so every movement, triggers the watch to turn on.

Correct. It is a feature not a bug. You need to decouple the watch or phone from the bed.

 

[ndouglas]

This is bizarre to read about since I have never noticed it as being very bright at all. Anyway, you know you can switch nightstand mode off right? That seems like an easy fix. I guess I agree that it’d be nice to have adjustable brightness settings but it really doesn’t seem too bright to me. Knowing Apple, they may or may not add it in 5-10 years.

Personally, I just wish the time would stay on during charging/nightstand mode, so it would actually be more useful to see the time without tapping it. I love the nightstand mode for iphone feature, but since I don’t have a Pro model, just like the watch I have to tap it to see the time.