Display and appearance
True Tone
Most people call this the screen matching the light in the room.
Sensors measure the colour of the light around you and adjust the display's white point so white looks like paper rather than a screen.
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 11 and later
- Settings
- Display & Brightness
- True Tone
What it does
Under warm indoor lighting the display warms up. Under cool daylight it cools down. The aim is for the screen to look consistent to your eye rather than consistent to a meter.
What changes
When it is on
The white point drifts with the room. Screenshots and recordings are unaffected.
When it is off
The display holds a fixed white point everywhere.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Reading is more comfortable across changing light.
- Whites look natural rather than blue under warm lamps.
Good reasons to turn it off
- You are editing photos and need a predictable white point.
- You dislike the screen changing colour by itself.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: On.
Questions people actually ask
- Should I turn True Tone off?
- Only if you need colour accuracy. For everyday reading it is genuinely easier on the eyes.
If it is not working
- A third party screen repair can remove True Tone entirely, because it depends on data tied to the original display.
- If the screen looks yellow only in the evening, that is Night Shift, not True Tone.