We all use mobile to read in our daily life, we read messages, news, and even books, so much so that mobile can be a good tool for reading ebooks. However, sometimes can be distracting due to screen brightness or an interface that does not allow comfortable reading.
In the evening, before going to sleep, I review the latest news and I use reading as a method to fall asleep. Reading an interesting article helps me relax to end the day, but for that I make some adjustments on my mobile to make the moment pleasant. There are other days when I prefer to let my mobile read it for me, or I listen to a podcast, but there is nothing that works better for me than reading on the screen.
Dark mode, an essential setting
First of all, the main thing is to enable dark mode on my Android phone. I configured everything in quick settings, so I don’t waste time activating certain options that allow me to read without the light bothering me. Dark mode allows the entire system interface to adapt, saving my eyes from suffering in dark environments.
We’ve been enjoying dark mode on Android for quite some time now, something that first started being implemented in the layers of manufacturers, now it’s applicable to any Android mobile. Currently, many users prefer it to the default mode, and adapting apps makes reading in the dark more comfortable. If we don’t want to activate and deactivate dark mode every day, we can always program it to activate automatically when the sun goes down.
Two options for better reading: Night Light and Extra Dimming
As a second option, I use two very useful functions that are present in my Android mobile. Night light mode and additional dimming. These two parameters help me maintain optimal visibility in the dark while the screen does not flash me. Both are very easy to configure.
Sleep mode is on Settings > Display > Color > Nightlight, we have a switch to activate it directly, but if we enter the settings we can program it to activate automatically at certain times. This setting causes the screen to display an orange tone which reduces discomfort when reading at night, one can change the intensity if one does not find it pleasant. But I already foresee that although at first it seems strange to you, you will eventually get used to it.
On the other hand, the Extra Dimming mode is in Settings > Accessibilityfrom here we can access the configuration of this parameter that dims the brightness of the screen below the established minimum.
The options it offers us are profound: we can change dimming intensity, as well as keeping it active even after restarting. Finally, we can add a shortcut to this parameter. In this way we will see an icon in the lower right part of the screen with which to quickly activate the dim mode.
You might not find the Extra Dimming option, at least not in the same place as in my case. Go through the screen options or in the accessibility options, but you can always use an application that allows you to reduce the brightness below the minimum.
A hidden trick for sites to be displayed in dark mode
The last setting I apply to make the mobile screen suitable for night reading is nothing more than a trick to force the browser to show all websites in dark mode, even if they don’t have it by default.
For this, I open my browser (in my case I use Edge, although the trick is applicable to Chrome) and enter the hidden options menu as follows:
- In the address bar we enter: edge://flags
- Click on the search field and type “dark”.
- The filter will show us a single option called “Automatic dark mode for web content”we touch and in the drop-down list we mark the “Enabled” option.
With this simple change, all websites will load in total dark mode. This option is not fully implemented so you may lose some text from websites, this has rarely happened to me but it is possible.
These settings allow me to read without suffering from my eyes, without wasting time installing applications
Even though I didn’t mention it I recommend reducing the brightness to minimum in the adjustment bar, in my case I drag the bar to the lowest level. In fact, I use the extra dimming precisely because the brightness of my mobile is not so low that I don’t mind.
It may seem a bit heavy, but I don’t need two minutes to prepare everything for my late-night reading session. The next morning, I disable everything from the quick settings and leave the default browser, to face a new day. So, reading from the mobile in bed is one of my favorite moments of every day.
