The field of molecular photoswitches has seen incredible developments during the last decade fueled by great efforts to bring their photophysical and photochemical properties under full control. Central to these endeavors was bathochromic shifting of absorptions in order to reduce the energy content of the light usable for switching. The benefits for this absorption shift are multifold and include reduction of photodestructive effects, deeper light penetration in biological tissue (biooptical window), and generally widening the absorption window for chromophore combinations. While reduction of photodestruction is desirable for virtually any application, the tissue penetration capacity of light between 650 nm and 1870 nm is of particular importance for biological applications of photoswitches, most eminently in chemical biology and photopharmacology. Likewise, the combination of photoswitches with other light-responsive units such as photocatalysts, fluorophores, or secondary photoswitches requires a wide absorption window and well separated absorption regions for each component.