Some implementations provide automatic display mode selection for a device, such as a mobile display device, according to a hierarchy of criteria. Each display mode may correspond with a set of display parameter settings, which may include a color depth setting, a brightness setting, etc. In some examples, one of the criteria may correspond with a software application being executed on the device. Some implementations involve creating a display device user profile and controlling a display of a mobile display device according to the user profile. The user profile may be built gradually over some number of days/weeks/months after the first use of the device. In some implementations, display parameter setting information or other device setting information corresponding to data in a user profile, including but not limited to demographic data, may be received by a mobile display device from another device, such as a server.