How to Turn On your iPod's Backlight
View your iPod screen in low light by turning on its backlight.
by
Doug
Updated January 29, 2009
Monochrome display of a 20GB iPod with the backlight turned on. Newer generation iPod's come with color LCD screens.
Being able to turn on the backlighting and brighten the display of your iPod is essential for using it in low light, or no light. Fifth generation iPod's, like the video iPod come with a color display, which make it easy to see what’s on the screen, whether or not you have light. However, older generation iPod models have a monochrome display, which make viewing the screen in the dark virtual impossible unless you have the iPod's backlight turned on.
To quickly turn on or off the iPod's backlight for older generation iPod's, press and hold the Menu button on the scroll wheel for about 2 seconds. Using this technique, you will be able to toggle the backlight on or off.
To configure your iPod's backlight to automatically turn on when you press a button or move the scroll wheel on your iPod, do the following:
- From the iPod Main menu, select Settings > Backlight Timer.
- Select one option from the Backlight Timer menu. The options include the following:
• Off
• 2 Seconds
• 5 Seconds
• 10 Seconds
• 20 Seconds
• Always On
Note: Having the Backlight Always On will wear down your iPod's battery faster, so you may want think twice about selecting Always On.
To include the backlight on/off switch on your iPod's Main menu (if it’s not already there), select Settings > Main Menu > Backlight > On.