It can be incredibly annoying to be blinded by your phone’s screen as you’re checking what time it is while half-asleep (and planning to sleep for a while longer). Also, the same lit screen can be very bothersome and distracting for other people present in a movie theater. These are just a few reasons why having the option to set a very low screen brightness can come in handy, at least every now and then.
The default options on Android only let you dim the display to a certain level, and if you want to go lower than that, you’ll have to use a third-party app. We explored two of them – both are really easy to use, and it’s up to you which one you like best.
Screen Filter – The straightforward option
Screen Filter is a simple app that lets you toggle on/off the screen dimming from a home screen icon. You can quickly access the app’s settings by taping on Screen Filter’s notification in the notification drawer.
There, you can adjust the screen brightness level and if you choose an extremely low setting, the app will require confirmation to prevent you from accidentally making the screen pitch black. Should that happen, the problem can be easily solved by rebooting the phone, uninstalling the app to get rid of the setting and then reinstalling it.
The app also offers widgets, so you can quickly enable preset brightness levels and you can set brightness based on your location or time of day using the Tasker/Locale plug-in.
Download Screen Filter (Google Play)
Dimly – The Material Design option
Dimly is another user-friendly app that lets you set a screen brightness below the default minimum. As you can see it has a pretty Material Design UI and straightforward options. It even comes with a blue-light filter to lessen eye strain.
The app has a transparent background that lets you preview how the brightness level you just set looks on any app or game, which I find extremely useful.
Download Dimly (Google Play)
Lux Lite – The feature-rich option
This app comes with a richer collection of settings, but also a number of preset profiles with different brightness levels and the option to switch between them as needed. Simply tap the app’s icon to select a brightness. You can also add a profile and how the screen’s brightness should adjust to it.
The backlight adjustment options are definitely a nice addition to Lux Lite. Take Dynamic for example, that will detect when a significant change in surrounding light occurs and adjusts your screen brightness accordingly.
Moreover, the Settings panel offers more options to customize the app, such as the ‘shake to brighten’ feature that lets you shake your phone while at lockscreen to increase brightness. It’s true many of the useful options offered by Lux Lite are premium features, but they’re worth every penny if you want a truly capable brightness manager.
Download Lux Lite (Google Play)
What’s your favorite app to control the brightness level of your phone’s screen? Write to us in the comments section below or give us a shout on Facebook,Twitter and Google+.
