More daylight
than yesterday?

How much more or less daylight today has than yesterday, to the second, and how far sunrise and sunset moved on the clock. Scroll down for the rest of the year: the daylight since the solstice, the curve of day length, and the turning points coming up.

Coming soonHow it works

$1.99, once. No subscription or in-app purchases.
iPhone, iOS 26 or later

For the dark half of the year.

Lighter Days in New York on Saturday, March 20: 2m 43s more daylight than yesterday over a 24-hour band from night through daylight, 12h 08m of daylight, the morning 1m 39s earlier with sunrise at 6:59 AM, and the evening 1m 04s later with sunset at 7:07 PM. — The spring equinox in New York: 2 minutes 43 seconds more daylight than the day before.

The days start getting
longer in December.

In late January it’s still light out on the drive home, and the days have been getting longer for a month already. Around the solstice the change is a few seconds a day. By March it’s a couple of minutes. Lighter Days puts that number at the top of the screen every morning: today’s daylight against yesterday’s, with how far sunrise and sunset each moved.

Sunday, March 14 in New York, the day the clocks go forward: the morning 58m 22s later with sunrise at 7:09 AM, 1m 38s earlier without the clock change, and the evening 1h 01m later with sunset at 7:01 PM, 1m 05s later without the clock change. A line says the clocks went forward an hour overnight. — The morning the clocks go forward, with how far the sun itself moved.

One number
a day

Today against yesterday
The big number is the change since yesterday, like “2m 43s more daylight than yesterday.” Under it is a band for the whole 24 hours, colored with the real times of night, twilight and daylight where you are.
Morning and evening
Sunrise and sunset each get a number for how far they moved on the clock: “1m 39s earlier.” They don’t always move together. In New York the earliest sunset comes 13 days before the shortest day, while the mornings keep getting darker into January.
The year
Scroll down for the daylight you’ve gained or lost since the last solstice, and a curve of day length from six months back to six months ahead. Drag along it to see any day.

A few more things

Coming Up

The turning points ahead: the earliest sunset, the shortest day, the latest sunrise, the equinoxes and the clock changes, each with its date and how many days away it is.

Clock changes

A week before the clocks change, Coming Up shows where sunrise and sunset will land on the new time, and you can get a reminder at 7 PM the evening before. On the day, morning and evening show the hour jump, and under it how far the sun itself moved.

Anywhere on Earth

Use your location, your iPhone’s time zone city, or any city or town you search for. Tomorrow’s change sits under today’s, or a week ahead if you switch it in Settings.

Widgets

Small and medium widgets for the Home Screen and three for the Lock Screen, each with today’s change.

No sunrise
for seven weeks.

In Tromsø, Norway, there’s no sunrise from November 28 until January 15. In between, the big number is how much twilight the day gained or lost. First and last light stand in for sunrise and sunset, and a line counts the days until the sun comes back. Under the midnight sun, you get the date of the next sunset instead.

Lighter Days in Tromsø on Tuesday, December 15: 2m 23s less twilight than yesterday, next sunrise January 15 in 31 days, no daylight and 4h 29m of twilight, first light at 9:24 AM and last light at 1:53 PM. — Polar night in Tromsø, 31 days before the sun comes back.

Support

Email me if something isn’t working, or if a time looks wrong for where you are.

It helps to include the place, the date and what’s on screen. A screenshot works too.

kevin@silicroncode.com Lighter Days privacy policy

Do I have to share my location?

No. Without it, Lighter Days uses your iPhone’s time zone city, or any city or town you search for. With it, the times are for where you are.

How accurate are the times?

Sunrise and sunset are worked out on your iPhone and shown to the second. In my tests against JPL’s planetary ephemeris, 569 sunrises and sunsets across eight cities came out within 24 seconds.

What happens when the clocks change?

A week ahead, Coming Up shows where sunrise and sunset will land on the new time. On the day, morning and evening show the hour jump and, under it, how far the sun moved without it. For a reminder at 7 PM the evening before, turn on Clock Changes in Settings.

Does it work near the poles?

Yes. In polar night it shows how much the twilight changed and how many days are left until the sun comes back. Under the midnight sun, it gives the date of the next sunset.

Does Lighter Days collect my data?

No. There’s no account, no ads and no tracking, and nothing is sent to me. Your location and city searches go only to Apple Maps, to name the place and find its time zone. The sunrise and sunset times are worked out on your iPhone.