Top 7 Blue Light Filter Apps for Android.
Most phones and computers nowadays have a built-in blue light filter. It might be called “Eye Care” or “Night Sight”, but they essentially serve the same function. However, the customization options offered by native apps are limited. You can only change the color temperature or schedule a specific time for the function to work. They’re pretty basic, and if you want more control like screen dimming or custom color overlays, you’ll need a third-party app. But before we move on to the best blue light filter apps for Android, let’s understand what blue light is and how much damage it can do to our eyes. Top advertisements
What is blue light and why is it harmful?
When the sun goes down, our body needs to rest and sleep. Here, the blue light of the device interferes and instead of signaling the body to sleep, it makes us alert and active. Long-term exposure can also cause potential damage to the retina and suppress melatonin production if necessary.
1. the red moon
Red Moon is a minimalistic open-source app that doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. The interface is quite minimal and to the point. You have a toggle switch to turn the filter on and off. There are a few basic sliders with which you can adjust the color, opacity, and brightness of the filter. Alternatively, you can also schedule the overlay based on the time of sunrise.
Red Moon is a free app for F-Droid and paid for on the Google Play store.
Red Moon overlays newly installed apps by default. If you want to disable it, there is also the Pause Excluded Applications option. If you are one of those who like to save multiple filter options, Red Moon allows you to save your custom configurations.
What’s good?
- Open source, simple, and minimal user interface.
- Ability to suspend for newly installed applications.
- Dark theme support.
- Widget support and toggle notification for quick access
What’s wrong?
- Unable to take a screenshot without overlay filter
Download Red Moon
2. Blue light filter
Blue Light Filter is an app that power users will love. It not only allows you to adjust the color temperature but also adjust other settings, such as screen dimming. The home screen is minimal and has a night landscape theme with a single power button at the bottom that turns on the filter.
Unlike the red moon, blue light provides less control over color temperature. Instead of a slider, you get presets such as Night Shift (3200K), Candlelight (1800K), Dawn (2000K), Incandescent (2700K), Fluorescent (3400K), and Eclipse (500K). If you think the filter is too strong, you can also change the intensity by dragging the slider accordingly. While there is no widget for the app, you do get a quick setting panel in the notification drawer with a flashlight option.
What’s good?
- Adjust the intensity of the filter.
- Screen dimming option.
- Panel for quick notification settings.
What’s wrong?
- Can’t take a screenshot without overlay filter
Load Blue Light Filter
3. Blue light filter for eye care
There are two features that differentiate this app from the aforementioned apps. First, you get a custom status bar widget. Secondly, screenshots can be taken without a blue light filter. All of this can be done using a shortcut in the status bar.
As of this writing, you can get the paid version for free until June 30, 2020
Apart from all the usual features like choosing the screen overlay color, adjusting the brightness, it also has a very robust scheduler. You see an hourly timeline on which you can set custom overlays. If you don’t want it to take up extra space in the notification bar, you can also add a shortcut to your home screen. Post this, you don’t have to worry about eye strain, just turn it on in the quick setting panel or turn it on automatically with the schedule option.
What’s good?
- Custom Scheduler
- Dark Mode Support
- Snapshot Form Quick Settings
- Multi-Drawer Widget Options
- Auto mode is activated depending on the ambient light.
What is missing?
- No blue light information.
Download Blue Light Filter for Eye Care
4. Night shift
It’s unlikely that you will change your blue light settings to match the days of the week, but if you do, Night Shift is the option for you. It comes with several presets such as bright, medium, dark, ultra-dark, and no tint. If you want to change these presets, you have the ability to not only edit them but also add your own presets. As with the other two apps, you can choose a color temperature palette as well as adjust the intensity.
Going to the planner, you can not only add the start and end times but also select the days on which the filter will be enabled. While the free version can handle most use cases, there is also a $ 3 paid version. It provides additional features like super dark feature, dark theme, free lifetime upgrade, no ads, and multiple scheduling options.
What’s good?
- Daily Schedule
- Blue Light Presets
What is missing?
- No customization available in the notification widget
Load Night Shift
5. Twilight
Twilight is not only the Editor’s Choice in the Play Store but also the only app that has Tasker integration. You can automate the app based on activity based on time of day, location, and more. Unlike other apps, Twilight has a minimal widget that can come in handy for quickly enabling or disabling the home screen overlay.
You can set the overlay color by dragging the color temperature option. The color temperature is defined as relaxing or energizing, and you also get a hint when it’s over 3500K, which can tire your eyes. As with other apps, you can set the intensity of the filter, adjust screen dimming, schedule overlays, and more. While Android does not allow filtering in the notification bar and lock screen, you can turn it on with small workarounds like filtering your wallpaper.
Pros:
- Time planner and sunset options.
- It can be combined with Tasker for automation.
- Supports Philips HUE smart lighting.
What is missing?
- The overlay may remain even after uninstall
Download Twilight Blue Light Filter
6. A night owl
While Night Owl doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary, I included it in the list simply because of its intuitive interface. Like other apps, it has a Screen Dimmer option, a blue light filter, a scheduler, etc. If you want to change the RGB filter values, you can tweak this with the Advanced Filter Setting. The most interesting feature is shaken, which turns off dimming as soon as you shake your phone.
What’s good?
- Minimal user interface.
- Shake to disable the setting.
- Doesn’t support ads.
- Multiple widget options
What is missing?
- The notification bar is not filtered.
Download Night Owl
7. CF.lumen
CF.lumen starts by setting the sleep start and end times at which the filter is triggered. In addition to this, you can also set day filters and sunset filters that turn on as soon as the app detects that specific time according to your location. As for the filter color, you can choose between red, green, or blue overlay. As with other apps, you can adjust the screen brightness and filter intensity. My favorite feature in the app is the automatic brightness detection. It uses the phone’s ambient light sensor to detect low light and bright light to enable sleep and day mode respectively.
The C.F.Lumen app is quite powerful but not intuitive. It is difficult to understand the user interface and the many options of the theme. One more thing – the app drawer widget shows a banner to buy the pro version, but you can opt for the free download option and enable the professional features without actually buying.
What’s good?
- Basic parameters such as filter intensity, screen dimming, time scheduler, etc.
- Using an ambient light sensor to detect day and night.
What’s wrong?
- The user interface lacks intuitiveness.
- The Freeload option allows you to use professional features without purchasing.
Download CF.lumen
Closing words
While these apps are a great way to prevent blue light from affecting your circadian rhythm, stress, and eye strain, you can also use several external measures to enhance the effect. You can use glasses with a blue light filter, screen filters, etc. Regardless, the only way to keep your eyes healthy is to limit overuse and give your eyes proper rest.
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Top 7 Blue Light Filter Apps for Android
Top 7 Blue Light Filter Apps for Android