How To Invert Screen Colors On IPhone & IPad | OSXDaily

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How to Invert Screen Colors on iPhone & iPad Nov 1, 2019 - 3 Comments

Want to invert the screen of iPhone or iPad? You can invert the screen colors of iPhone or iPad easily through an Accessibility option. This can be very helpful to many users for various purposes, whether for reviewing things on the display in dim ambient lighting, due to some color blindness or other visual difficulties, or perhaps just a general preference. There are actually two ways to invert the screen colors, one is called ‘smart invert’ which will invert everything on the screen except for media and images, and the other is the ‘classic invert’ setting which will invert everything on the display of iPhone or iPad.

This article will show you how to invert the display of iPhone and iPad, and how to turn the display inversion setting off if it was enabled.

How to Invert Screen Colors on iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Settings app



2. Go to “Accessibility” (or earlier iOS versions go to “General” and then to “Accessibility”)



3. Go to “Display Accommodations”



4. Choose “Invert colors”



5. Select either screen inversion option by toggling the invert setting to the ON position:
• “Smart Invert” – inverts screen colors for display except for images and media
• “Classic Invert” – inverts all screen colors on display including images and media



6. Exit out of Settings when finished

The screen of iPhone or iPad will immediately invert and stay that way until the display inversion setting has been changed or disabled.

The screenshot below shows an example of using the “Smart Invert” feature, which is inverting all screen colors except for images on a webpage:

Some users have used the “Smart Invert” feature as a Dark Mode theme of sorts for iOS versions prior to iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, but that’s no longer necessary with the inclusion of the new dark mode themes.

Note that inverting the screen will disable Night Shift on the iPhone or iPad.

How to Disable Screen Inversion on iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Settings app
2. Go to “General” and to “Accessibility”
3. Go to “Display Accommodations”
4. Choose “Invert colors”
5. Toggle the switch next to either Invert setting to the OFF position

Screen inversion will immediately turn off and the screen will return to the normal display color settings when disabled.

It’s worth registering that inverting the screen this way literally inverts the screen colors, so it is not the same as enabling Dark Mode on iPhone or using Dark Mode on iPad. In prior iOS versions some people did use the Invert feature as a way to achieve a similar effect to the interface but that is no longer necessary with Dark Mode being an official feature. In fact, if you use Invert Screen while Dark Mode is enabled, you’ll achieve the opposite effect and the interface elements will turn bright again, sort of like the default Light mode interface.

Screen Inverting may be intended as an Accessibility option, but it has practical uses for other reasons as well, like making content easier to view in the dark for some users, or many other reasons too. Whether you’re using it for accessibility purposes to make screen content easier to see and read, or if you’re using it for another reason entirely, now you know how to invert the screen of an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Do you use the screen inversion features of iPhone and iPad? What do you think? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in iPad, iPhone, Tips & Tricks, Troubleshooting

3 Comments

» Comments RSS Feed

1. Tom Kelly says: March 29, 2023 at 3:55 am

   Use shortcuts

   Reply
2. Isaac says: February 17, 2020 at 1:31 pm

   Is there any way to turn on/off invert without going to settings?

   Reply
3. Ken says: November 3, 2019 at 1:36 pm

   This article is not complete. It doesn’t tell you how to invert colors. And the section on disabling the inversion is not up to date.

   To invert: 1. Open Settings App. 2. Go directly to “Accessibility.” (You don’t go through “General” any more.) 3. Go to “Display & Test Size.” 4. Turn on “Small Invert” or “Classic Invert.”

   To disable: Do as above, but turn off “Invert.”

   Reply

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