Learn how to stop your iPhone from automatically changing display brightness so you can adjust it manually and keep screen illumination consistent.
The iPhone uses an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness dynamically.
Step outside into direct sunlight, and iOS will crank up brightness to make on-screen text easier to read. In a dimly lit room, brightness drops to a minimum to reduce eye strain.
If you don’t want iOS to manage screen brightness on your behalf, disable the Auto-Brightness feature. This keeps the brightness you set manually, regardless of changing lighting conditions in your surroundings.
Before we show you the steps, keep in mind that Auto-Brightness was designed to preserve battery life; using manual brightness will negatively impact your battery life if you always keep it on the higher side.
Turn off the Auto-Brightness feature on iPhone or iPad
Apple doesn’t want you to change brightness manually, so it has it listed deep in the accessibility settings.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Display & Text Size.
- Scroll to the bottom and turn off Auto-Brightness.
Don’t forget to re-enable automatic brightness when you no longer need manual control.
If your iPhone is very hot
Your iPhone may get too hot if exposed to direct sunlight, when recording videos for a long time, or playing a demanding game. If that happens, iOS decreases screen brightness as a safety measure. Manually increasing it with the brightness slider in Control Center won’t restore full brightness until your iPhone cools down.
More on screen brightness: