How To Disable Auto Brightness on an iPhone

Have you ever noticed while looking at your iPhone indoors the screen automatically brightens if you step outdoors?

Apple introduced a new feature with iOS 11 called “Auto-Brightness.” A sensor placed near the earpiece detects changes in the ambient lighting and automatically adjusts the brightness of your iPhone screen to counter these changes.

Auto-Brightness also helps to conserve the battery life of your phone by lowering the brightness in dimmer settings which reduces power consumption.

Unfortunately, while this setting can be helpful, it isn’t always needed. In this guide, we show you how to disable the Auto-Brightness feature of your iPhone.

Disable Auto Brightness iPhone 10, 11, and 12 on IOS 14

Auto-Brightness on your iPhone works well and is helpful most of the time, but not all users enjoy this feature, especially when it dims while you’re watching a video on your phone or playing a game indoors.

Apple has released several iPhone models and some variations in how settings are enabled and disabled. Take a look below to see how to deactivate Auto-Brightness on an iPhone 10, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12 that run iOS 14 software.

iPhone 10

Note: Keep in mind that the iPhone 10 is also known as the iPhone X.

1. Unlock your iPhone.
   
2. On the “Home” screen, locate your “Settings” icon – Apple usually depicts this with an icon that resembles a grey cog or gear.
   
3. Tap the “Settings” icon.
   
4. Once the menu opens, scroll down until you find the “Accessibility” option and click.
   
5. Next, scroll through the “Accessibility” menu until you find “Display & Text Size.” Tap on this option.
   
6. From the menu that opens, look for the Auto-Brightness option. You will see a toggle next to this heading. Slide the toggle left to disable Auto-Brightness. If the toggle turns grey, you will know the setting is deactivated. If the toggle is green, the feature is activated.
   
7. Navigate out of the menus and back to your “Home” screen.
   

iPhone 11

1. Open and unlock your iPhone using your ID or passcode.
   
2. Locate the “Settings” icon (depicted by a silver gear icon) and tap on it.
   
3. From the “Settings” menu, select “Accessibility.”
   
4. Next, scroll down until you find “Display & Text Size.” Tap on this option.
   
5. Navigate down the menu until you find the “Auto-Brightness” toggle. When this feature is activated, it will show as green. To deactivate “Auto-Brightness,” slide the toggle to the left. It should then turn grey, signifying you have turned the setting off.
   
6. Navigate back to your “Home” screen.
   

iPhone 12

1. Make sure your iPhone is unlocked and navigate to your “Home” screen.
   
2. Locate the “Settings” icon. A grey cog or gear is the symbol Apple uses to depict this feature.
   
3. Tap on “Settings” and navigate the menu until you find the “Accessibility” option, and tap on it.
   
4. In the menu that opens, scroll down until you find “Display & Text Size.” Select this option.
   
5. Scroll down until you find “Auto-Brightness.” The green toggle indicates that the feature is enabled. To disable this setting, slide the toggle to the left. It will turn grey.
   
6. Navigate back to your “Home” screen.
   

Once you have disabled this feature, your iPhone should remain at the brightness you have set it. Should you wish to re-activate the Auto-Brightness setting on your iPhone, navigate through these steps and slide the toggle to the right.

Disable Auto Brightness iPhone 6, 7, and 8

If you own an iPhone 6, chances are you are running iOS 12. When Apple released iOS 13, they booted iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s from the list of phones compatible with this new software.

However, if you have an iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8, these are all compatible with the latest iOS 14 software. These different operating systems mean that how you disable Auto-Brightness will differ slightly. Let’s take a look:

iPhone 6 With iOS 12

1. Navigate to the “Home” screen on your iPhone 6.
   
2. Locate the “Settings” icon (depicted by a grey cog or gear icon) and tap on it.
   
3. In the “Settings” menu, find “General” and select it.
   
4. Scroll down until you find “Accessibility” and tap it.
   
5. Next, choose the “Display Accommodations” option.
   
6. Scroll through this menu until you find “Auto-Brightness.” Next to this option, you will find a toggle that when activated is green. To disable this feature, slide the toggle to the left. It will then turn grey. You can now head back to your “Home” screen.
   

iPhone 7 and 8 With iOS 14

1. Open and unlock your iPhone.
   
2. On the “Home” screen, navigate to your “Settings” icon, which is depicted as an image of a gear. Tap this icon.
   
3. Scroll down until you find “Accessibility” and select this option.
   
4. Find “Display & Text Size” and tap on it.
   
5. Next, scroll until you find “Auto-Brightness.” If enabled, the toggle will be green. To disable ‘Auto-Brightness,” slide the toggle to the left and it will turn grey.
   
6. Navigate back to your “Home” screen.
   

Turn Off Auto Brightness on the iPhone Camera

If you find that your iPhone camera automatically adjusts the brightness or dimness of your photographs, there is a good chance you have a feature on your iPhone called “Auto-exposure.” This setting will alter the exposure or brightness of your photo depending on the ambient lighting surrounding the image or person you wish to capture.

While handy in some instances, this feature can make your subjects look over-exposed. Here are the steps to follow to disable “Auto-exposure”:

1. Unlock your iPhone.
   
2. Navigate to “Settings.”
   
3. Under “Settings,” select “Camera.”
   
4. In this menu, disable the following three settings by sliding the toggles to the left: “Scene Detection,” “Lens Correction,” and “Smart HDR.”
   
5. Navigate back to the “Home” screen.
6. Launch your “Camera” application.
   
7. Point your camera at the subject you want to photograph. Press down lightly or touch and hold the screen. This will activate “AE/AF Lock,” which locks your “Auto Exposure” and “Auto Focus.” A little yellow bar with “AE/AF Lock” will appear at the top of the screen, signifying this feature is enabled.
8. Tap the downwards-facing arrow at the top center of the screen to call up the manual camera settings, which will display as icons at the bottom of your screen. From here, you can adjust the brightness to the level you like.

Now you can take your photo.

Additional FAQs

Why Does My iPhone Brightness Keep Changing With Auto Brightness Off?

If you notice that your iPhone brightness changes even though you have your Auto-Brightness disabled, this could mean that your device is overheating. The phone automatically dims the screen to regulate its internal temperature, causing an adjustment in the display’s brightness.

Your iPhone may also have a feature called “Night Shift” activated, which can affect the brightness of your screen. This feature will automatically adjust the warmth of the color of your screen depending on the time of day. Again, this is designed to make your screen readable in various lighting conditions. You can disable Night Shift following these steps:

1. Navigate to your “Settings” icon and tap it.

2. Scroll down until you reach “Display & Brightness” and select this option.

3. Find “Night Shift” and slide the toggle to the left to deactivate it.

4. Navigate back to your “Home” screen.

Auto-Brightness Deactivated

Disabling Auto-Brightness on your iPhone is relatively simple once you know how. Navigating these steps a few times will have you controlling your phone’s brightness like a pro.

Now you can sit back and enjoy your phone’s features and settings the way you like them.

Have you disabled Auto-Brightness on your iPhone before? Did you use a method similar to those outlined in this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.