Dim your iPad for good health
Mac Tip #536, 16 May 2012

A bright screen can dazzle you, disrupt your sleep and drain your iPad’s battery. Here’s how to turn down the brightness on your iPad — for your health and your iPad’s.

Quick Start

1. Go to iPad’s Settings.
2. Tap on Brightness & Wallpaper.
3. Drag the slider to the left to lower the default screen brightness.
4. Call up the Multitasking Bar.
5. Swipe to the left.
6. Drag the slider to the left to reduce the screen brightness.

Want more detail? Read the full Tip below.

Set the default brightness

Check the default iPad brightness. The slider here is about a third of the way along. I actually prefer the screen when the slider’s only about ¹/₁₀ of the way across.

Take a good look at your iPad’s screen. Is it brighter than it actually needs to be? Try turning down the brightness and see how your eyes react. Here’s how:

1. Go to iPad’s Settings.
2. Tap on Brightness & Wallpaper.
3. Drag the slider to the left to lower the default screen brightness.

Lowering the brightness is not only easier on yor eyes but also makes the battery last longer.

Change brightness on the fly

Perhaps you’re reading an ebook and want to tweak the brightness quickly. You can access the brightness slider from the Multitasking Bar too.

See Pinch and swipe for speed on the iPad for several ways to call up the Multitasking Bar.

1. Call up the Multitasking Bar.
2. Swipe to the left.
3. Drag the slider to the left to reduce the screen brightness.

The Multitasking Bar shows the Brightness slider after swiping all the way to the left. [My dogs Sasha and Oshi are keeping an eye on me as my desktop picture.]

Look after the iPad battery

You may usually charge up your iPad before the battery is completely drained, and that’s fine. But Lithium-Polymer Batteries, such as the ones in a Mac laptop or an iPad respond well to being run right down from time to time. As Apple say:

For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

If you’re deliberately trying to run the battery right down try turning the screen brightness up to maximum. You’ll see the iPad lose power very quickly.

Look after your sleep

Research has shown that bright lights at night can disrupt our sleep.

Bright screens are intrusive and can disrupt the quality of sleep, particularly for those who are more prone to insomnia.…

Research shows that circadian rhythm is disrupted by bright light exposure during night time, so any type of bright lights can interfere with your circadian rhythm, said [Dr. Philip Alapat, assistant professor of medicine and medical director of the Baylor Sleep Center].

If you’re reading your iPad just before you go to sleep reduce the negative effects by making sure the brightness of the screen is turned down.

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