How to invert the colours on an iPhone with Smart Invert
2 min read · 3 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, scroll down and switch on Smart Invert. The background turns dark so that text and content stand out. Smart Invert reverses colours everywhere except images.
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 26.5 (iPhone 17)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Accessibility › Display & Text Size
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Inverting the colours makes the background dark and the text light. Apple says this can be especially useful in apps and websites that do not support Dark Mode. Smart Invert leaves pictures as they are. Classic Invert, the other option Apple names, reverses all the colours on the screen.
The screenshots show iOS 26.5 on an iPhone 17. On older versions the rows have the same names, with a slightly different look.
Step by step
Open Settings and tap Accessibility
Accessibility is in the first group of the main Settings list, below General.
Tap Display & Text Size
It is in the Vision group, below Hover Text.
Scroll down and switch on Smart Invert
In the picture it is off. The note below reads: Smart Invert reverses the colors of the display, except for images, media and some apps that use dark color styles.
Good to know
For a dark look without inverted colours: how to turn on Dark Mode on an iPhone.
Apple notes that Night Shift automatically removes inverted colours.
In short: Settings, Accessibility, Display & Text Size, Smart Invert on.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.