Nightwatch

1. Create the shortcuts

If Nightwatch On and Nightwatch Off already exist, skip to saving the red tint, or connecting Focus if your tint is already configured.

In Shortcuts, open the description-based builder and paste each block separately. Keep these exact names so the automations can reference them.

After copying a prompt, tap Describe a shortcut to bring up the keyboard. Tap the copied-text suggestion labeled Paste from Safari directly above the keys, highlighted below. If that suggestion is absent, touch and hold the input field and choose Paste.

Nightwatch On

Create a shortcut named exactly "Nightwatch On". Add one Set Color Filters action configured to Turn On. Use the existing color filter selected in Accessibility settings. Do not use Toggle, change brightness, add an automation, show an alert, or open another app.

Nightwatch Off

Create a shortcut named exactly "Nightwatch Off". Add one Set Color Filters action configured to Turn Off. Keep the saved filter type, hue, and intensity unchanged. Do not use Toggle, change brightness, add an automation, show an alert, or open another app.

Nightwatch Toggle, optional

Create a shortcut named exactly "Nightwatch Toggle". Add one Set Color Filters action configured to Toggle. Use the existing color filter selected in Accessibility settings. Do not change brightness, add an automation, show an alert, or open another app.

Toggle is a manual override. Keep it out of the Focus automations, where it could turn the filter off when you wanted it on.

Inspect each generated shortcut against this table. If the builder is unavailable, create a new shortcut, search for Set Color Filters, configure its action as shown, and save it with the exact name. There are no shared install links yet.

Shortcut	Entire action list
Nightwatch On	Turn Color Filters On
Nightwatch Off	Turn Color Filters Off
Nightwatch Toggle, optional	Toggle Color Filters

Run Nightwatch On. A device with the default filter may become grayscale. That shows the action is working; the next step changes the saved filter to red. If you already have a different filter selected, that filter will appear instead.

2. Save the red tint

1. Open Settings and search for Color Filters. The full path is Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters.
2. Keep Color Filters on and select Color Tint, at the bottom of the filter list. Do not select Red/Green Filter.
3. Scroll down to the sliders. On iPhone, they may be below the visible part of the screen.
4. Move Intensity all the way right. Adjust Hue until the display is red.
5. Return to Shortcuts. Run Nightwatch Off, then Nightwatch On. Regular colors should return, followed by the same red tint.

This is our provisional red preset. Research into hue, intensity, and night-vision performance is still outstanding. Adjust screen brightness separately for the conditions.

The shortcut only changes whether Color Filters is enabled. Hue, intensity, and filter type are configured in Settings. If you use a different accessibility filter every day, this setup changes that saved selection; Nightwatch Off disables the filter rather than restoring your previous selection. Apple’s Color Filters guide.

3. Create Nightwatch Focus

Open Settings → Focus → + → Custom. Name it Nightwatch, choose the red icon color and sunset glyph shown below, then finish creating it. Review People and Apps so its notification rules suit you.

Focus will be the everyday control for the tint, your chosen screens, and your schedule. Apple’s Focus setup guide.

4. Connect Focus to the shortcuts

Personal automations listen for Focus changes. The shortcuts themselves do not watch anything in the background.

These prompts assume that the Nightwatch Focus and the shortcuts named exactly Nightwatch On and Nightwatch Off already exist. Paste each block separately into the automation description builder.

When Nightwatch turns on

Create a personal automation for the existing Focus named "Nightwatch". Trigger it only When Turning On, not When Turning Off. Set it to Run Immediately without asking for confirmation. Add one Run Shortcut action that runs my existing shortcut named exactly "Nightwatch On". Do not create another shortcut, toggle Color Filters, change the Focus, or add other actions.

When Nightwatch turns off

Create a personal automation for the existing Focus named "Nightwatch". Trigger it only When Turning Off, not When Turning On. Set it to Run Immediately without asking for confirmation. Add one Run Shortcut action that runs my existing shortcut named exactly "Nightwatch Off". Do not create another shortcut, toggle Color Filters, change the Focus, or add other actions.

Review the generated trigger and action against the table below, then save. These prompts worked in our iPhone setup. Check that both entries appear in Automation; a generated action alone does not establish that the Focus trigger was created. If the builder only creates the action or is unavailable, set the trigger manually in Shortcuts → Automation → +, selecting Nightwatch in the Focus triggers.

Trigger	Execution	Action
Nightwatch, When Turning On only	Run Immediately	Run Shortcut: Nightwatch On
Nightwatch, When Turning Off only	Run Immediately	Run Shortcut: Nightwatch Off

For each automation, choose the saved shortcut if the next screen offers it directly. Otherwise choose a blank automation, add Run Shortcut, and select the appropriate shortcut. Save both. On versions showing Ask Before Running, turn it off to allow automatic execution.

Disable any existing Nightwatch automation that toggles Color Filters. It would compete with this pair. Check that the On automation does not also have When Turning Off selected, and vice versa.

The actions set an explicit state: running On twice keeps the filter on, and running Off twice keeps it off. Apple documents both Focus triggers and automatic execution.

Test both directions

Start with Nightwatch Focus off and run Nightwatch Off once.

1. In Control Center, open Focus and turn Nightwatch on. Check that the display becomes red.
2. Open another app and check the Lock Screen. The tint should remain.
3. Turn Nightwatch Focus off. Check that regular colors return.
4. Repeat the cycle. Also test turning Nightwatch off while the phone is locked and switching from Nightwatch to another Focus.

If Off fails, run Nightwatch Off manually to distinguish a shortcut problem from an automation problem. You can always disable Color Filters directly in Settings.

5. Put the controls where you need them

Control Center

Use the built-in Focus control and select Nightwatch. This runs the paired automations and keeps the Focus and tint aligned.

For a filter-only override, edit Control Center, choose Add a Control → Shortcut, then configure it to run Nightwatch Toggle. You can choose Nightwatch Off instead if you want a dedicated return-to-regular-colors control. Apple’s Shortcut control instructions.

A filter-only shortcut does not change Focus. If you override the filter while Nightwatch Focus stays on, the On automation will not run again until the Focus turns off and back on.

Lock Screen

Touch and hold the Lock Screen, choose Customize → Lock Screen, remove one bottom control, and add the Shortcut control where available. Select Nightwatch Toggle or Nightwatch Off, then save. Test whether your phone requires unlocking to run it.

You can also link a dedicated Lock Screen to Nightwatch under Settings → Focus → Nightwatch → Customize Screens. Choose a dark background and a readable clock. Test activation from that screen as part of the Focus check. Apple’s Lock Screen guide.

Apple Watch face

Create a face with a dark background and red details in the Watch app. Under Settings → Focus → Nightwatch → Customize Screens, choose that face below the Apple Watch image. Apple’s Focus watch-face instructions.

A linked watch face changes the face, not every screen on the Watch. The iPhone’s red Color Filter does not tint the Watch display.

Schedule

Go to Settings → Focus → Nightwatch → Add Schedule and choose the start time, end time, and days. The Focus transitions should run the same On and Off automations; test one short scheduled cycle before relying on it. Apple’s Focus scheduling guide.

If you share Focus across devices, configure and test the filter and automations separately on each device where you want a red screen.

Fix an incomplete setup

What you see	What to check
Grayscale instead of red	In Settings, select Color Tint and adjust Hue and Intensity
Red, but other colors remain	Scroll down and check Intensity; confirm Hue is red
Focus turns on but the display stays normal	Run Nightwatch On manually; then check the On automation and automatic execution
Red remains after Focus turns off	Run Nightwatch Off manually; check that a separate Off automation exists and uses Off, not Toggle
Results seem reversed or inconsistent	Disable duplicate toggle automations and check for a manual filter override
A shortcut is missing or was edited	Recreate its single action from the table, then reselect it in the automation and any controls
Tint changes unexpectedly	Check other automations and Night Shift; Apple’s display guide notes that Night Shift can remove color-filter effects other than grayscale

Judge the tint on the display itself. Our device screenshots did not capture the red filter; a photograph of the screen did.

Making this easier

We’re trying to turn this setup into a Nightwatch app that makes configuration, controls, and troubleshooting easier. We’ve asked Apple to add the APIs we need to manage the system-wide red tint directly. For now, iOS settings and Shortcuts are the way to do it, and you can use this guide without waiting for an app.