Twilight: Blue light filter

450K reviews
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Everyone
10M+
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Everyone
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About this app

Are you having trouble falling asleep? Are your kids hyperactive when playing with the tablet before bed time?
Are you using your smart phone or tablet in the late evening? Are you sensitive to light during migraine?
Twilight may be a solution for you!

Recent research suggests that exposure to blue light before sleep may distort your natural (circadian) rhythm and cause inability to fall asleep.

The cause is the photoreceptor in your eyes, called Melanopsin. This receptor is sensitive to a narrow band of blue light in the 460-480nm range which may suppress Melatonin production - a hormone responsible for your healthy sleep-wake cycles.

In experimental scientific studies it has been shown an average person reading on a tablet or smart phone for a couple of hours before bed time may find their sleep delayed by about an hour. See references below..

The Twilight app makes your device screen adapt to the time of the day. It filters the flux of blue light emitted by your phone or tablet after sunset and protects your eyes with a soft and pleasant red filter. The filter intensity is smoothly adjusted to the sun cycle based on your local sunset and sunrise times.

You can also use Twilight on your Wear OS device.

Documentation
http://twilight.urbandroid.org/doc/

Get more from Twilight
1) Bed reading: Twilight is more pleasant on the eyes for night reading. Especially as it is able to lower the screen backlight far below the ability of the backligt controls on your screen

2) AMOLED screens: We have tested Twilight on an AMOLED screen for 5 years without any sign of depletion or over-burning. If properly configured Twilight causes less light emission (by enabling dimming) with more equal light distribution (dark areas of the screen such as the status bar get tinted). This may in fact increase your AMOLED screen life time.

Basics on circadian rhythm and the role of melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanopsin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm_disorder

Permissions
- location - to find out your current sunset/surise times
- running apps - to stop Twilight in selected apps
- write settings - to set back-light
- network - access smartlight (Philips HUE) to shield you household light from blue

Accessibility Service

In order to filter also your notifications and lock screen the app may ask for enabling Twilight Accessibility Service. The app uses this service only to better filter your screen and does not collect any personal information. Please read more about this at https://twilight.urbandroid.org/is-twilights-accessibility-service-a-thread-to-my-privacy/

Wear OS

Twilight also syncs your Wear OS screen with your phone's filter settings. You can control filtering from a "Wear OS Tile".

Automation (Tasker or other)
https://sites.google.com/site/twilight4android/automation

Related scientific research

Amplitude Reduction and Phase Shifts of Melatonin, Cortisol and Other Circadian Rhythms after a Gradual Advance of Sleep and Light Exposure in Humans Derk-Jan Dijk, & Co 2012

Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans Joshua J. Gooley, Kyle Chamberlain, Kurt A. Smith & Co, 2011

Effect of Light on Human Circadian Physiology Jeanne F. Duffy, Charles A. Czeisler 2009

Efficacy of a single sequence of intermittent bright light pulses for delaying circadian phase in humans Claude Gronfier, Kenneth P. Wright, & Co 2009

Intrinsic period and light intensity determine the phase relationship between melatonin and sleep in humans Kenneth P. Wright, Claude Gronfier & Co 2009

The Impact of Sleep Timing and Bright Light Exposure on Attentional Impairment during Night Work Nayantara Santhi & Co 2008

Short-Wavelength Light Sensitivity of Circadian, Pupillary, and Visual Awareness in Humans Lacking an Outer Retina Farhan H. Zaidi & Co, 2007
Filters blue light from your screen, reduces eye strain and helps you sleep
Updated on
Sep 29, 2026
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Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
  • No data shared with third parties
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  • No data collected
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Ratings and reviews

419K reviews
Jenn D
September 17, 2026
I tested this out last night because it has features I want. It started out fine, I was considering purchasing the pro version.....until I picked up my phone again and my entire screen was completely unreadable. I had no way to navigate or turn the filter off, it was a solid dim red. Ultimately I had to force my phone to reboot in safe mode, uninstall the app, and then because I had to use safe mode I also had to restore all my widgets from a backup. I sure don't trust it now!
1 person found this review helpful
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Petr Nálevka (Urbandroid)
September 18, 2026
Hello Jenn, the app has a safety measure to prevent the screen from dimming too much. This can be overridden only by enabling the Experimental Backlight. Even with the reddest shade and 100% intensity of the filter, the screen is still readable. What could the app do to prevent this? Request confirmation of all changes made to the filter output?
Peggy Bitner
August 1, 2026
I feel a 1000% difference in the evening from when I am using this app and when I'm not. When I use it, I notice my body begins to naturally get more sleepy in the evening as my body is preparing for bedtime. Eliminating the blue light exposure in the evenings has helped me go to bed on time and not feel wide awake endlessly scrolling on my phone because of blue light messing with my circadian rhythm. Its also super easy to use and I like that I'm able to adjust the intensity of the filter.
3 people found this review helpful
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J Bluewind
August 13, 2026
I've been using this app for YEARS and it's a must have. I have migraines and keep it on all the time. I no longer get a headache or eye strain from using my phone. It's also good for anyone before bed (I've noticed I'm wired if I watch TV less than an hour or two before bed, but not if I watch shows on my phone). Just remember to check settings! There are a lot of features there that are super handy (like filtering the bar at the top of the screen or the lock screen) edit: OVER A DECADE NOW!
5 people found this review helpful
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