Answered: Does reducing white point in iOS save battery life?

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“Reduce White Point” is a popular accessibility setting on iPhones and iPads which reduces the intensity of the bright white color in iOS. Question is: does turning this on save battery life? We discuss it all!

When Apple introduced the bright and bubbly iOS 7, the company included a nifty little feature called “Reduce White Point”. Placed deep within the Settings app, this feature would reduce the sharp, uncomfortably bright white color used throughout the OS with a slightly darker, off-white color.

As someone with less than perfect vision, and someone who finds bright lights to be really annoying, the “Reduce White Point” feature is fantastic. I’ve been using it ever since I discovered it in iOS 7. It is especially great when you’re using the iPhone at night.

Now, a pretty common question asked by iOS users is: “does reducing the white point actually save battery life?”

Let’s answer it.

Also read: Make iPhone 7 display brighter than maximum

What does “Reduce White Point” actually do?

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The “white point” is a set of color values which together define what is defined as “white”. So, when you reduce the white point in iOS, you’re really just telling iOS to redefine “white” as a slightly darker shade – an off-white color. This noticeably reduces the uncomfortable glare that comes from seeing the iPhone, particularly in low-light environments.

So, white point reduction simply changes the color “white” in iOS. It does not change the actual brightness of the display!

This is why we strongly believe reducing white point on its own does not save battery life. It’s a one-time software tweak.

Also read: Does using VPN decrease battery life on iOS?

Are there any cases where white point reduction somehow saves battery life?

I would say, yes, there is one particular case. Let’s say you turn on “Reduce White Point” and forget it. Over time, you find your iPhone or iPad’s display to be less bright than it should be. To compensate, you then manually increase the brightness of the display. In this case, you’re reducing the effect of increased brightness by reducing the white point.

If this is you, your reduced white point setting will indirectly lead to reduced battery life.

You can turn off “Reduce White Point” from Settings > General >Accessibility > Display Accomodation. I am going to experiment with a higher white point for a while to see if the brighter color makes me uncomfortable. If it does, I’ll revert back.