Displays screen brightness, such as a liquid crystal displays, and keypad brightness on a mobile electronic device may be manually adjusted for different operating environments in order to provide an optimal user experience. For example, in outdoor or sunlight conditions the screen backlight should be bright enough in order to be readable and the keypad backlight should be off to conserve battery power. In normal indoor or office conditions, the screen backlight should operate at medium brightness while the keypad backlight is usually turned off. In dim or dark conditions, the screen backlight should be at low intensity so as to avoid eye strain and the keypad backlight should be on.
Ambient lighting conditions can change rapidly as the user moves between different working environments. For example, walking from indoors to outdoors may render the screen display screen immediately unreadable unless the screen backlight brightness is increased. Conversely, when the user moves from a bright environment into a dimly lit room, the keypad may be unreadable unless the keypad backlight is turned on. Furthermore, when a particular application is active on the device, it may be desirable to adjust the brightness of the screen and keypad backlights. Accordingly, there are challenges associated with managing screen and keypad backlighting as a user moves between different ambient lighting conditions and uses a particular application on the device, requiring the user to constantly readjust the brightness.