Apple's latest version for its iOS operating system will include a feature that boosts health by helping iPhone and iPad users to sleep better. Night Shift filters out light from displays of devices such as smartphones and tablets so the person's body clock will not be disturbed. The night mode will shift the Apple device's on-screen color to a hue away from blue based on the time and location.

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Public health experts are pleased about the new feature.  A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health blasted mobile phone and tablet manufacturers for not adding an automatic "bedtime mode" to their products, according to Forbes.  It would help people to adjust their behavior better.

Night Shift's color changes on touchscreens will have little effect on people's mobile device use. However, the small shift will be worth the benefits to the user's body.

Apple explains that the new feature does not just dim the display. Several studies have shown that being exposed to bright blue night at night can affect people's "circadian rhythms," which makes it more difficult to fall asleep.

Night Shift makes use of an iOS device's clock and geo-location to learn when the sun will set at the current location, and then shifts the display's colors to warmer colors that are less harsh on eyes. In the morning the Apple device returns to the display's regular settings.

However, Forbes points out that the warmer colors do not reduce eye strain. Instead, they prevent light from affecting a person's brain.

Eyes detect light, and then send data to a group of neurons in the center of the brain. Sunlight destroys a certain sleep hormone in the brain.  

Backlit displays on devices are bad for the body. It causes the brain to think it is daytime.

Researchers learned that modern displays give off blue light. Night Shift changes blue/green light emissions to yellow/red light, helping people to sleep better.    

iOS 9 is now running on three-quarters of all iPhones and iPads, according to The Inquirer. The figure shows that 5 percent of Apple device users switched to the new version during the past month.