Apple announced this week that they’ve joined our fight to use technology to improve sleep.

There is a lot to be done. Indeed, workers on the “night shift” have nearly double the lifetime risk of cancer [1], and much of this is believed to be driven by exposure to bright light at the wrong times.

Apple’s involvement in fixing this problem is a big commitment and an important first step.

We’re proud that we are the original innovators and leaders in this area. In our continued work over the last seven years, we have learned how complicated people actually are. The next phase of f.lux is something we cannot wait to ship to the world.

Rather than suggest simple answers, our mission is to enable f.lux to advance the science, while providing customized solutions for each person. We intend to make f.lux better in every way than the app we designed back in 2009.

Today we call on Apple to allow us to release f.lux on iOS, to open up access to the features announced this week, and to support our goal of furthering research in sleep and chronobiology.

As we continue to innovate and improve upon our ideas, we remain hopeful that we will have the opportunity to offer our best, new work to everyone who wants it. We’ve learned that people’s lives, biology, and everyday routines are incredibly, wonderfully different, and these differences must be embraced. There is not one right answer for everyone, so we are committed to making software that’s ever more adaptive and responsive to each individual’s needs.

Thank you for the words of support. We hope you’ll join us in our quest to understand how screens and light affect sleep and in turn, human health.

With love,

Michael and Lorna

People asked for references for the cancer claims above, so here is a brief list.