Why is iOS 9.3 Night Shift a Big Deal?

One of the new features in iOS 9.3 is called Night Shift, and that’s why it’s such a big deal.

iOS 9.3 was recently announced, but is not yet publicly available in a final state. It’s currently still in beta mode, giving developers the opportunity to test the update before it’s rolled out to all iPhone and iPad users.

iOS 9.3 includes a host of new features, including new 3D Touch Quick Actions, Touch ID and password support for the Notes app, improvements to the News app, and a host of bug fixes and performance improvements.

However, one of iOS 9.3’s biggest features (or at least the one you should be most wary of) is called Night Shift, which changes the color temperature of the screen to a warmer tone at night to make it easier to see. eyes in dark environments.

But what makes Night Shift so important? It seems like a small feature that Apple added to iOS, but it’s actually a big feature that can improve your overall health.

iPhone uses an LCD screen, and LCD screens’ backlight emits a cooler color temperature; this means that this light should closely match the color temperature of daylight rather than the warmer hue of your indoor lamps.

That’s fine when the sun is out and you’re wide awake during the day, but that cooler color temperature of your iPhone’s screen at night can confuse your eyesand because the emitted hue closely matches that of daylight hues, your brain actually thinks that daylight is still out when it’s late at night.

Therefore, looking at LCD screens at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which is a fancy term for the 24-hour cycle in the physiological processes your body goes through.

Part of the circadian rhythm is the day and night cycle, so when the sun goes down it’s a signal to your brain and body that it’s time to calm down and get ready for bed. However, that bright blue color your screens emit can disrupt this process and make it harder to fall asleep.

Enter iOS 9.3 Night Shift, a new feature that aims to fix this issue. Night Shift can automatically warm up the color temperature of your iPhone’s screen as it gets later and darker.

So your iPhone’s screen might look normal during the day, but you can turn on Night Shift and have the screen automatically change its color temperature to suit the warmer lights in your home.

Without this feature, looking at your phone at night won’t do you any good. In fact, it’s bad for your health.

“Exposure to artificial light between dusk and bedtime suppresses the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, increases alertness, and shifts circadian rhythms to one hour,” says Charles Czeisler, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. an hour later – it makes it hard to fall asleep.”

Lack of a good night’s sleep is good occasionally and it happens to everyone, but constant nights of not getting a good night’s sleep have long-term negative effects on your health, such as decreased energy during your stay. days and a shorter lifetime.

Apple has taken a big leap into health lately with the launch of the Apple Watch, which comes with a Health app that can connect all kinds of health information from various accessories, as well as an Activity app that tracks your movement and exercise. sets daily goals for you.

iOS 9.3’s Night Shift feature is a move that takes Apple further in the health sector and although it doesn’t seem like a huge health-based feature, sleep is one of the most important factors of a healthy lifestyle.