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Configure display size and themes

BoatKit has three display appearances:

  • Day uses a light palette for ordinary daylight viewing.
  • Night removes bright light surfaces while keeping strong chart and control contrast.
  • Overnight uses a much darker, red-led, low-contrast palette for a sleeping cabin or a display used during night navigation.

These preferences are stored only for the current Viewer. Changing one tablet, phone, or browser does not change another display.

Adjust interface size​

Open Settings → This Viewer → Preferences, then choose Interface scale. Use a larger percentage when text and controls appear too small on a compact, high-resolution display. The same picker offers Automatic and 100% through 225% in 25% steps.

In an ordinary browser or native Viewer, the change applies immediately and is saved in that viewer/app. Automatic uses the browser's normal sizing. The selected percentage enlarges the interface relative to that normal size without lowering the display resolution. Try one step at a time and check that settings, menus, and the views you use remain comfortable to operate.

When this Viewer is the attached display on a BoatKit device, the field explicitly identifies it and explains that changing the size restarts the browser and its on-screen keyboard. Administrator access is required for that display. Its scale is saved on the BoatKit device and includes the keyboard. Automatic uses credible monitor dimensions when available and otherwise uses 100%.

For a vertically mounted Pi HDMI touchscreen, open Settings → Attached Display/Audio → Web Browser → Display rotation as an administrator. Choose left or right 90° rotation to suit the mount. BoatKit changes the picture and touchscreen calibration together without restarting the browser. Check touch at all four corners. If the controls do not line up with your touch hardware, use another local Viewer to select Normal and inspect the touchscreen's own orientation settings. This setting is stored with vessel configuration and works offline.

Both modes work without Internet or BoatKit Cloud. Ordinary viewer preferences are outside vessel backups; the attached-display setting is included in the device's portable configuration. If a browser loses its preference after reopening, check whether it is clearing local site data or using private browsing. If the attached-display control is unavailable, check the administrator access message and whether the BoatKit host needs an update.

Choose normal day and night switching​

Open Settings → Preferences → Colors, then choose Day / night switching:

  • Match This Device follows the device's light or dark appearance setting.
  • Auto by Sunset/rise uses the vessel's position and timezone to calculate the next change.
  • Always Night and Always Day keep the selected base appearance.

Overnight automation is evaluated separately and overrides the resulting Day or Night appearance while it is active.

Enable Overnight on a schedule​

Set Overnight mode to Schedule, then enter the start and stop times in 24-hour HH:MM format. The schedule uses the Viewer device's local clock and can cross midnight—for example, 22:00 through 06:00.

Enable Overnight from the device signal​

On a compatible native device, BoatKit enables Device light / brightness by default the first time the Viewer confirms that the signal is available. You can set Overnight mode to Off or Schedule afterward, and BoatKit preserves that choice. BoatKit omits the device-signal option when the current Viewer exposes no usable light or brightness signal. The settings page shows the live signal and provides separate entry and exit thresholds:

  • Most Android devices report ambient illumination in lux. Some Android hardware has no accessible light sensor; BoatKit reports that instead of estimating a value.
  • iPhone and iPad report current screen brightness as a percentage. This is a proxy for the desired viewing level, not an ambient-light measurement.
  • Browser and desktop viewers may expose no compatible signal. Use a schedule on those displays.

The reading must remain at or below the entry threshold for 15 seconds before BoatKit enters Overnight. It must remain at or above the higher exit threshold for 5 seconds before BoatKit leaves Overnight. The separate thresholds prevent passing lights, shadows, or a hand over the sensor from repeatedly switching the display.

Adjust the thresholds while looking at the live reading on the actual mounted device. Sensor range, placement, screen brightness behavior, and obstruction by a case or dashboard mount vary between devices.

Choose a color palette​

The Standard and Higher contrast choices each preview complete Day, Night, and Overnight palettes. Higher contrast preserves more separation within every mode; Overnight remains substantially dimmer than ordinary Night. The palette also covers selected controls, chart labels and halos, track-history age colors, instrument vectors, tide/current markers, and map points so those details do not fall back to bright daytime accents. Overnight keeps shallow, deep, and drying water visibly distinct at low luminance.

Test the selected palette on the physical helm or cabin display. Automatic appearance changes improve viewing comfort but do not replace a proper display-brightness setting, safe watchkeeping practices, or the required navigation equipment.