The developers behind f.lux app, the Mac and iOS utility that makes it easier to use bright screens in dark settings, have now published an official response to Apple’s Night Shift feature, calling Apple’s move to address nighttime exposure to blue light a “big commitment and an important first step.” They ask Apple to take its support a step further by implementing the tools that would allow for an App Store version of the f.lux app.
Given how an increasing number of smartphone users are spending longer amounts of time on their smartphones, the move is one that has been well planned on Apple’s side. Although the move is great for everyone, many are noting the similarities between Apple’s Night Shift mode and the popular f.lux app for Mac, especially since Apple forced the f.lux for iOS app to stop just two months before the debut of its new feature.
A quote from f.lux:
There is a lot to be done. Indeed, workers on the “night shift” have nearly double the lifetime risk of cancer, and much of this is believed to be driven by exposure to bright light at the wrong times.
Apple’s involvement in fixing this problem is a big commitment and an important first step.
We’re proud that we are the original innovators and leaders in this area. In our continued work over the last seven years, we have learned how complicated people actually are. The next phase of f.lux is something we cannot wait to ship to the world. […]
Today we call on Apple to allow us to release f.lux on iOS, to open up access to the features announced this week, and to support our goal of furthering research in sleep and chronobiology.
F.lux for the Mac has been available for years and is popular in the Mac community with users who want to avoid blue light at night. Research has suggested that bright light exposure (especially the blue wavelength) at night can interrupt the circadian rhythm, causing sleep problems and other harmful effects on the immune system. While there’s been a Mac solution to blue light for some time, no such tool has been available on a non-jailbroken iOS device.
Previously, the developers behind f.lux tried to bring an official iOS version of the app to the iPhone and iPad using an app side-loaded onto iOS devices via Xcode. When they tried this, Apple quickly prevented this from happening telling the company that side-loading apps is a violation of the Developer Program Agreement. For those of you who are wondering why f.lux couldn’t just be on the official App Store, it’s because the developers would need Apple’s help since the APIs that control display temperature aren’t provided for developer use. The previously available version of f.lux used private APIs that weren’t allowed for release in the App Store.
Night Shift mode is currently available to developers and public beta testers who are running iOS 9.3. The feature will see a public release this spring when iOS 9 launches.
F.lux creators Call on Apple to allow for an App Store version of the f.lux app