True Tone is a proprietary Apple display technology available on modern iPhones and iPads. It uses advanced multi-channel sensors to dynamically adjust the colour and intensity of your screen to match the ambient light in your current environment. If you are sitting in a room with warm incandescent bulbs, True Tone makes your screen appear warmer (more yellow); if you step outside into cool, overcast daylight, it shifts the display to a cooler (bluer) hue. While Apple designed this to make reading on a screen feel as natural as reading on physical paper, it actively distorts the true colours of photographs and videos. For mobile photographers, digital artists, or anyone who simply prefers a consistent white balance, True Tone is a major hindrance.
This guide explains how to completely disable True Tone system-wide on your iPhone, locking your display to an accurate, consistent colour profile regardless of your surroundings.
Disable True Tone via the Control Centre
The fastest way to toggle True Tone is directly through the iOS Control Centre.
- Wake your iPhone. If you have an iPhone with Face ID (no home button), swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. If you have an iPhone with a physical Home button (like the SE), swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen.
- Locate the Brightness slider (the tall bar with the sun icon).
- Press and hold (or 3D Touch) anywhere on the brightness slider to expand it to full screen.
- In the bottom right corner of the expanded brightness view, you will see a button labelled True Tone.
- Tap the button so that the icon turns grey and the text underneath reads “True Tone Off.”
Disable True Tone via Settings
Alternatively, you can permanently disable the feature through the main iOS Settings menu.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and select Display & Brightness.
- Locate the “Brightness” section near the top of the screen.
- Directly below the brightness slider, you will find a toggle switch for True Tone.
- Toggle the switch to the Off position.
Once disabled, your iPhone’s display will immediately revert to its standard, hardware-calibrated white point. A white background will now always look pure white, whether you are reading in a dimly lit café or standing under harsh fluorescent office lights.