Skip to main content

Flux-like automatic screen brightness app ‘FlexBright’ now available in the App Store

Update: As we expected, FlexBright has been removed from the App Store this morning. That didn’t take long at all.

Despite earlier actions against similar apps, Apple has recently approved an app called FlexBright that adjusts the brightness and color temperature of your iPhone or iPad’s display depending on the time of day. While Apple introduced a feature like this with iOS 9.3, the company has previously refused to allow the popular Flux app in the App Store, which provides similar functionality.

FlexBright is $2.99 in the App Store and was recently updated to version 2.0, adding some of the brightness features. The app offers the ability to adjust the brightness and color temperature of your device’s display automatically. The app takes into account the sunset and sunrise times to do so. FlexBright also offers what it calls a “smart eye strain calculator” to keep track of how long you’ve looked at bright blue light. The app will then alert you if it detects eye fatigue.

There’s also a dark mode that changes the colors of the interface on your phone to black and white, similar to the Dark Mode on OS X.

Like Flux and Night Shift, FlexBright touts the health benefits its app offers:

Did you know that night-time exposure to blue light keeps people up late? Did you know that exposure to bright light or straining to see in dim light can also cause eye fatigue?

FlexBright will continuously monitor your exposure to blue light from your device and prompt you to change brightness if high eyestrain is detected.The app will also allows you to automatically adjust the brightness of your screen based on time of the day.

Last November, Flux became available via sideloading for iOS users, but within a day, Apple shut them down, leaving Flux to argue that it would be willing to work with Apple to get the app on the App Store. Shortly thereafter, Apple introduced Night Shift, which is very similar to Flux. Flux responded to the feature by saying it clearly is the “original innovator and leader” in the market.

Despite a lot of similarities, FlexBright offers a few features different from Night Shift. For one, it offers a Dark Mode, while iOS natively does not. The app is also offers push notification support for reminding you to change your display’s brightness or temperature if  you’ve been using it for an extended period of time.

While it’s likely that FlexBright will get removed from the App Store sooner rather than later, you can still download it now and keep it, even if it’s removed.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Matthew Judy - 8 years ago

    If FlexBright doesn’t use private system functions (the fact that it got into the store means it probably doesn’t), then I don’t see why it would be pulled. F.lux definitely offers a *far* richer implementation of screen dimming, but it does make use of private functions, and that keeps it out of the store.

    As far as “working with Apple” goes, I have a feeling that conversation would go something like this:

    F.lux: “We want to use these private screen adjustment functions.”
    Apple: “What about these alternative approaches?”
    F.lux: “We think those all suck. Make the private functions public.”
    Apple: “That’s not on our roadmap, and we can’t say if it ever will be. Please stop using them.”
    F.lux: “No.”
    Apple: “ಠ_ಠ”

    • mrobertson21 - 8 years ago

      Yeah I think it’s something more like:

      f.lux team: hi guys, we have an app we’ve been developing for 7-8 years, and we’d like to officially support iOS!

      Apple: oh? Well, it uses permissions we don’t allow, but I guess you can side load it.

      *random Apple lackey researches f.lux, discovers that it’s really popular, immediately rushes to the Apple campus*

      Lackey: *out of breath* GUYS! I HAVE OUR NEW FEATURE FOR 9.3!

      *3 days later*

      Apple: we’re excited to debut our newest invention, Night Shift…

  2. Ivan - 8 years ago

    That has got to be one of the worse interfaces I’ve seen since stuff from the iOS 5 days.

    • srgmac - 8 years ago

      It really isn’t that bad…and neither was iOS 5 lol.

      • Atlas (@Metascover) - 8 years ago

        No, it’s really bad. Terrible animations, no cohesive animations, flat and skeuomorphic design coexisting…

  3. jakexb - 8 years ago

    That is one seriously ugly app. They went out of their way to uglify it.

  4. No wonder it got pulled..what an ugly UI.

  5. No wonder it got pulled. What an ugly UI

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com