Accessibility - vision
Smart Invert
Most people call this reversing colours without ruining photos.
Smart Invert reverses the display colours but leaves images, video and apps that already use a dark style alone.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 13 and later
- Settings
- Accessibility
- Display & Text Size
- Smart Invert
What it does
Classic Invert flips everything, including photographs. Smart Invert skips media and dark themed interfaces, which makes it usable as a rough dark mode in apps that do not offer one.
What changes
When it is on
Light interfaces become dark. Photos and video keep their real colours.
When it is off
Normal colours return.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Forces a dark appearance on apps that refuse to offer one.
- Reduces glare at night.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Results are inconsistent, and some apps look wrong.
- Dark Mode is a better answer wherever an app supports it.
Battery
Depends how you use it
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Questions people actually ask
- Why do my photos look like negatives?
- Classic Invert is on. Switch to Smart Invert, or turn inversion off entirely.
If it is not working
- If photos look like negatives, you have Classic Invert on rather than Smart Invert.
- Add it to the Accessibility Shortcut rather than digging through Settings each time.