Night mode is available but not currently active - it will turn on automatically if the camera thinks the lighting conditions require it. If you want to manually turn it on, pull up on the camera footage and tap the same icon in that array of icons at the bottom. Answer from Matt_NZ on reddit.com
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 102519
Use Night mode on your iPhone - Apple Support
Night mode automatically turns on when the camera detects a low-light environment. The Night mode icon at the top of the display turns yellow when the feature is active. Depending on how dark the scene is, your iPhone might take a Night mode photo quickly, or it might take several seconds.
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SANDMARC
sandmarc.com › home › iphone photography › iphone photography
How to Use Night Mode on the iPhone Camera
April 3, 2020 - The symbol of the moon at the left corner of the iPhone indicates that the Night Mode is on. The yellow color in the moon icon indicates that the camera will go for a long-exposure picture.
Discussions

How to turn off dark mode icons in Settings?
Long press your screen, tap Edit in the top left corner, tap Customize, then choose the option for Light icons at the bottom of the screen (it's currently on Automatic). If you have focus modes that use different screens, you will have to do this for each focus mode. If you switch wallpapers manually, you may still need to do it for each one, but I haven't tested that. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/ios
26
47
September 27, 2024
Light and Dark Icons with Dark Mode On
I think you should be able to do it by going to the Home Screen -> long press until the icons start shaking -> click on edit (top left) -> customise -> select “automatic”. That just changes the way icons look but not the main theme More on reddit.com
🌐 r/ios
5
6
September 17, 2024
What the white moon icon means in the camera app?
Night mode is available but not currently active - it will turn on automatically if the camera thinks the lighting conditions require it. If you want to manually turn it on, pull up on the camera footage and tap the same icon in that array of icons at the bottom. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/iphone
22
239
October 13, 2024
After iOS 18 update (just now), why are app icons dark? No setting changes on my end
Try pressing the Home Screen down, this should show up under edit in the top left corner Hit customize and it showed show up the customization menu for the icons More on reddit.com
🌐 r/iphone
51
56
November 6, 2024
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/iphone › what the white moon icon means in the camera app?
r/iphone on Reddit: What the white moon icon means in the camera app?
October 13, 2024 -

So when I open the camera app and the moon icon is not showing, it means Night Mode is not available because the environment is too bright.

When a yellow moon icon is showing, it means Night Mode is available and turned ON because the environment is dark, and if I take a picture, it will take a long exposure shot and significantly improve the quality of the picture.

When the yellow moon icon is showing and I click on it, it becomes white and crossed out, which means Night Mode is available but I just turned it off. If I take a picture, there will be no long exposure and the quality will be pretty bad.

However, when a white moon icon is showing, I can click on it to cross/uncross it out, but it makes absolutely no difference when I take a picture. So I wonder what’s the purpose of it? Does it mean “It’s dark enough to turn on Night Mode, but we don’t turn it on cause it’s not dark enough”? Lol then just don’t show the moon icon at all? Or if you consider it’s dark enough, then turn it on and show me the yellow moon with the possibility of turning it off if I want to?

I am missing something?

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MacRumors
macrumors.com › how-to › ios-make-home-screen-icons-dark
iOS 18: Make Your iPhone Home Screen Icons Dark - MacRumors
Press and hold a space on the Home Screen or an app page to enter jiggle mode. Tap Edit in the top-left corner. Select Customize in the dropdown menu. Choose Dark, Light, or Automatic in the customization panel.
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iPhone Photography School
iphonephotographyschool.com › home › tutorials › iphone camera
How To Use iPhone Night Mode Camera On iPhone 11 & 12
February 8, 2021 - If you wish, you can increase the exposure time to the maximum time available. To adjust exposure time, drag the Exposure Time slider above the shutter button. (If you can’t see the slider, tap the yellow Night mode icon at the top of the screen.)
Find elsewhere
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Gadget Hacks
ios.gadgethacks.com › how-to › cant-find-night-mode-your-iphone-heres-why-0206902
Can't Find Night Mode on Your iPhone? Here's Why << iOS & iPhone :: Gadget Hacks
August 14, 2020 - If the device decides it is dark enough for Night mode, the option appears in the top left of the display when in portrait orientation or the bottom left in landscape. Tapping on the Night mode icon, hitting the chevron up top pointing upwards, ...
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Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › phones › iphones
iPhone Night mode: how to enable it and get the best low light photos
November 30, 2023 - Open the Camera app on your phone and swipe to the Photo mode if needed. If the lens detects low-light conditions, Night mode will automatically activate and the moon icon in the top-left corner (beside the flash icon) will turn yellow.
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Wikihow
wikihow.com › computers and electronics › telephones › cell phones › apple ios › ios 18 dark icons: how to get them & why some don't change
iOS 18 Dark Icons: How to Get Them & Why Some Don't Change
September 25, 2024 - A third option is Automatic, which makes your icons dark at night, while keeping them light in the day. ... Tap anywhere on the Home screen to save your changes. You can now enjoy your new dark iOS 18 icons. Swipe all the way to the right to see all of your new dark icons in the App Library. ... Not all apps have dark icons. If you swipe over to the App Library, you'll probably see that some of your icons haven't changed color. While all of the preinstalled apps on your iPhone have both dark and light icons to choose from, you won't be able to change the color of other app icons if their developers haven't added dark icons in an update.
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 118583
Use Night Shift on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Touch and hold the Brightness control icon, then tap the Night Shift button to turn Night Shift on or off. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.2 On the same screen, you can schedule a time for Night Shift to turn on automatically and adjust color temperature.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/ios › light and dark icons with dark mode on
r/ios on Reddit: Light and Dark Icons with Dark Mode On
September 17, 2024 -

Hello!

I always keep my iPhone in Dark Mode because I prefer a black interface. With iOS 18, I noticed that I can now have dark icons as well, but I would like them to appear only at night. Is there a way to do that? So far, it seems that the automatic settings only apply dark icons when Light/Dark Mode is also set to automatic. Is there a workaround that allows me to keep Dark Mode on all the time but have dark icons appear only in the evening and last until the next morning?

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CNET
cnet.com › tech › mobile › phones › the best way to prepare for ios 26 on your iphone is to change these 10 settings in ios 18
Change These 10 iOS 18.6 Settings Now and It'll Feel Like ...
November 4, 2025 - You no longer need to deal with a wallpaper image of your kids or pets being obscured by icons. They still adhere to a grid -- Apple isn't about to sanction anarchy -- but can be placed freely. Also, Dark mode finally applies to all of the iPhone's home screen, with options for coloring icons and affecting the brightness of the wallpaper image.
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Icons8
icons8.com › icons › set › camera-night-mode
Camera night mode Icons, Logos, Symbols – Free Download PNG, SVG
Free Camera night mode icons, logos, symbols in 50+ UI design styles. Download Static and animated Camera night mode vector icons and logos for free in PNG, SVG, GIF
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Business Insider
businessinsider.com › reviews › tech › how to use night mode on your iphone to take better photos in the dark
How to use Night mode on your iPhone to take better photos in the dark
August 23, 2022 - When Night mode is activated on your iPhone, the moon icon will display an exposure time next to it, which is how much time it'll take to capture a good Night mode picture.
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Shotkit
shotkit.com › night-mode-iphone
Night Mode on iPhone: How to Use It (+ Tips and Tricks)
September 18, 2023 - Tapping the yellow night mode icon is the quickest way to turn night mode off if you’re looking to take full manual control of your next night mode photo. Night mode might appear automatically, but there are some custom settings that you can ...
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Quora
quora.com › Where-is-the-night-mode-on-an-iPhone-camera
Where is the night mode on an iPhone camera? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Q: Where is the night mode on an iPhone camera? A: The Night Mode feature is completely automatic on iPhones * Night Mode automatically enables itself when the light sensors on the iPhone detect darkness * You’ll know that Night Mode is activated on by the appearance of a sma...
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No Camera Bag
nocamerabag.com › blog › iphone-night-mode-camera
iPhone Night Mode Camera: The complete Guide
September 30, 2025 - However, if the iPhone detects that night mode may be useful to get a better photo, you have several options. If night mode is enabled, there is a white icon in the upper left corner.