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Life & fun · August 1, 2026

UI

Use iPhone's camera as a lux meter

After suffering one too many times from bad jet lag, I read a bunch of circadian rhythm papers and developed a simple app to help fight jet lag. I knew that avoiding devices at night was helpful, but it turns out that getting the right light at specific times of day can help not just with jet lag but overall sleep and well being. How it works: you give the app your sleep goal, and then it coaches you by estimating current melanopic light exposure from the iPhone's camera. I validated this against an $1800 lab-grade light meter and was surprised to find it is absolutely close enough for these…

Use iPhone's camera as a lux meter launched on August 1, 2026 with 5 votes, #1,809 of 23,274 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches.

Visit impulsearc.com ↗Alternativestop 8% of August 2026

What it does

Wavelength checks the light around you and tells you when to get more and when to dim it, for better sleep, no jet lag, and steady energy all day. iPhone app.

In the maker’s words, at launch

After suffering one too many times from bad jet lag, I read a bunch of circadian rhythm papers and developed a simple app to help fight jet lag. I knew that avoiding devices at night was helpful, but it turns out that getting the right light at specific times of day can help not just with jet lag but overall sleep…

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