How to change display colors on iPhone to make it easier to see what’s onscreen

To make it easier to see what’s on your iPhone screen, you can invert and filter colors or make transparent items solid.

Smart Invert reverses colors everywhere except images, while Classic Invert reverses all the colors onscreen. You can also apply a filter for grayscale or color vision deficiencies. A dark background makes text stand out, especially in apps that don’t support Dark Mode.

Here’s how to change display colors on iPhone to make it easier to see what’s onscreen.

Quick tip: Quickly set brightness with the slider in Control Center.

Invert colors

A dark background helps text and content stand out, which is especially useful in apps and websites that don’t support Dark Mode.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap Display & Text Size.
2. Turn on one of the following:
   • Smart Invert: Reverse colors everywhere except images.
   • Classic Invert: Reverse all the colors onscreen.

Differentiate or tone down colors

A filter can tint the screen a color of your choosing, adjust colors for color vision deficiencies, or show the entire screen in grayscale.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap Display & Text Size.
2. Tap Color Filters, turn on Color Filters, and then tap a color filter to apply it.

You can drag any slider that appears to adjust the intensity or hue. The pencils reflect how the filter affects a range of colors.

Note: Color filters can change the look of images and videos.

To tone down the intensity of bright colors, turn on Reduce White Point.

Night Shift makes screen colors warmer as it gets dark out. It automatically removes inverted colors and color filter effects, except grayscale.

The Magnifier app can also capture an image of nearby objects or text, then apply a color filter to it.

Make transparent items solid

By default, some backgrounds appear transparent or blurred. Giving them a solid color makes these transparent backgrounds opaque, which simplifies those parts of your screen and makes them easier to see.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap Display & Text Size.
2. Turn on Reduce Transparency.

Differentiate without color

When screen items rely on color to convey information, you can replace that with alternative ways to tell them apart, like text or shapes.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap Display & Text Size.
2. Turn on Differentiate Without Color.

Use symbols for on/off switches

When switches are on, they turn green. They can also show a vertical line when they’re on and a circle when they’re off.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap Display & Text Size.
2. Turn on On/Off Labels.

Increase contrast between colors

You can also increase the contrast between different elements on your iPhone, such as apps and background colors.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Accessibility, tap Display & Text Size, turn on Increase Contrast.