4 Fixes for Night Shift Not Working on iPhone and Mac

Quick Tips

• If Night Shift does not turn on automatically despite being enabled on your iPhone or Mac, check the duration you have scheduled on your device.
• There is a System Customization setting that ensures that features like Night Shift work correctly following your location. Enable it on your device.
• You can use the ColorSync Utility to verify and repair the color profile of your Mac display.

Basic Fix

• Update software version: Update the software version on your iPhone or Mac to fix bugs causing the issue.

Fix 1: Check Your Night Shift Schedule

While Night Shift comes disabled by default, you must enable it if you plan to use it regularly. If Night Shift is not turning on automatically despite enabling it on your iPhone or Mac, check the duration for which you have scheduled it on your device.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open Settings > Display and Brightness > Night Shift.

Step 2: Check the schedule that you have selected for turning on Night Shift by tapping From and To.

Ensure that you select the correct schedule for the Night Shift.

On Mac

Step 1: Open System Settings > Displays.

Step 2: Click on Night Shift at the bottom right.

Step 3: Check your Night Shift schedule and ensure to select the preferred one.

Step 4: Click on Done at the bottom right to confirm your preferences.

Fix 2: Check Date and Time Settings

If the Night Shift still doesn’t work even after you schedule it, check the Date and Time settings for your iPhone or Mac. This applies if you’ve chosen Night Shift for the duration from sunrise to sunset.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open Settings > General > Date and Time.

Step 2: Select the correct date and time as per your location.

We suggest enabling Set Automatically to let Apple set the accurate Date and Time for your iPhone.

On Mac

Step 1: Open Settings > General > Date and Time.

Step 2: Set the correct date and time.

We suggest enabling Set Time Zone automatically for your current location.

Fix 3: Check Location Settings

If Night Shift is still not working on your iPhone or Mac, check whether the location access for your device has been enabled. There is a setting of System Customization, which ensures that features like Night Shift work correctly following your location. Here’s how to check whether it has been enabled.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open Settings and go to Privacy and Security.

Step 2: Select Location Services > enable Location Services.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on System Services > enable System Customization.

On Mac

Step 1: Open Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services.

Step 2: Ensure that Location Services have been enabled on your Mac.

Step 3: Scroll to the bottom and click on Details next to System Services.

Step 4: Enable the toggle for System Customization.

Step 5: Click on Done at the bottom right to confirm.

You can also refer to our posts if Location Services are not working on your iPhone or Mac.

Fix 4: Use ColorSync Utility (Mac)

If Night Shift is still not working on your Mac, use the ColorSync Utility to verify and repair the color profile of your Mac display. The International Color Consortium (ICC) approves the color profile of your Mac’s display, and ColorSync Utility will verify and repair the ICC profiles installed on your Mac. This is like how you would repair any storage issues with Disk Utility on your Mac.

Step 1: Open ColorSync Utility on your Mac.

Step 2: Select the Profile First Aid tab and click on Verify.

Step 3: Once the color profiles have been verified, click on Repair at the bottom right.