Android how to apply the dark mode in the app

Lately, many Android users have been switching programs and applications to Dark Mode whenever possible on Android box devices. To save battery and improve visibility, especially in the morning and at night.

Some applications support dark themes or dark mode, and Android also does it natively. The users of a Google Pixel 3a, one of the first things they did was enable Dark Mode in the Settings.Several native applications, including Settings, Google Chrome or Play Store applications automatically started switching to Dark Mode when they switch to Android wear.

However, other apps did not. Which meant that the device changed between light and dark mode each time it changed the applications that supported it and those that didn’t.

Android implements Dark Mode throughout the system

Android how to apply the dark mode in the app

As of Android Q, a dark mode was introduced throughout the system, but the function does not apply the dark mode in applications. If an application supports it, you can switch to dark mode automatically, but if it does not, the default or selected Android 9 theme is used.

Android one comes with a developer option to apply Dark Mode. The effect of enabling the option is that many applications use a dark interface instead of the default one.

However, the configuration does not work for all applications; WhatsApp keeps its interface light even after enabling the option, as do other applications such as Google Maps.

The following instructions apply to a Google Pixel 3a device that has more or less stock of Android auto. The features you need to enable may not be present on other Android devices. Or they may be located elsewhere in the Settings.

If you found them in a different location, you can let people know where they can locate this Android setting on their smartphones.

Here is what you need to do:

  1. First, open the Settings on your Android vpn device and select the Screen option.
  2. Now, change the Dark theme option to “enabled.”

Thus, the configuration enables the Dark theme on the device but does not apply it. You must open the »Developer Options» in the second step to make another configuration change to force it.

  1. If you have the Developer Options in Settings, go directly to step 4.
  2. Open the Settings and then go to “About phone”.
  3. Tap on the “Build number” several times until you receive a notification that Developer options have been enabled.
  4. Now select Settings. Then in System, then in Advanced. And finally in Developer Options.
  5. Activate the force-dark override option under “Hardware accelerated representation”.

In this way, many applications will use a dark theme once you make the change. And so you can enjoy the dark themes in various Android applications. Similarly, you have to make sure that the dark mode is indeed activated. You should also check your apps to make the necessary changes.

Activate the dark theme on your mobile with Dark Mode

As I said, the app can be downloaded totally free on GooglePlay. In addition, its operation is extremely simple. Once installed, the tool offers us three different options:

  • Day Mode
  • Night Mode
  • Car

By checking the second option,  corresponding to the dark theme, if available,  the theme of the device will becomedark. According to the developer of the app, some terminals of firms such as  Xiaomi  or  Samsung do not support this feature.

In addition to that, the dark theme will also be activated in all the applications that support it,such as Instagram, Google Fit, Google Chrome, Pocket Casts, Google Play and many other popular apps. This list will grow as the respective developers update their apps. Google itself has, today, a  large number of applications that already have a dark theme available.

Dark Mode
Dark Mode
Developer: Julian Eggers
Price: Free

On the other hand, Dark Mode includes a useful option that even Android 10 does not have natively. This is the automatic dark theme,which allows you to modify the appearance of the system depending on the time of day. Thus,  by day the theme of the system and apps will be clear, and at night it will become dark. To use this function, it is only necessary to check the third option offered by the app.

What is dark mode and why adopt it in your app?

Some time ago, apps started offering users the option of dark mode. Also known as  dark  mode,the original English expression that has the same meaning, the darker tone ended up pleasing the audience.

This caused other platforms and even operating systems to adapt to the mode. At first, this mode was created to be used only at night, so that users would have a more comfortable usability of the smartphone and still  not suffer the effects of the blue light that is emitted in the traditional screen mode.

However, with the well-being that dark mode provides to our vision, most users have adopted the option throughout the day. The most used applications at the moment have already been adapted or are in process, as is the case of activating dark mode on  Whatsapp  or Android.

What is Dark Mode?

The is a temporary change in the color palette of the software in question. When  the dark mode is activated, the traditional white background with black letters is replaced by a dark color interface, which varies between black and gray. In addition, the brightness is also reduced.

This condition was created to provide convenience to the vision of smartphone users, especially those who remain for long periods of time in front of the cell phone screen, how when we use Whatsapp. Such comfort is mainly noticeable when used in low-light environments.

Advantages of Dark Mode

In addition to preventing the user’s vision from getting tired in less time, dark mode offers several other advantages, such as reducing the device’s battery consumption. Due to the reduced brightness of the screens, the battery saving can be up to 30%, compared to the traditional mode.

The test was to use the messaging apps  Twitter, YouTube and Google  Maps for two hours each. In the end, the battery of the device that was in the traditional mode was exhausted before completing the use of the app, while the cell phone that was in night mode still had a 30% battery.

User Health Benefits

The traditional display mode on screens emits a blue light that, when exposed for a long time, can make vision feel more fatigued in less time and, in addition to dry eyes, generates difficulty in visual focus and even damage the cells of the retina.

When the white color is dominant, the iris contracts so that there is less incidence of light passage and therefore clarifies the content of the screen. When dark colors are frequent, the opposite effect occurs.

Moreover, blue light causes smartphone users to spend more time alerting and, because of this, using mobile devices at night without dark mode activated can provide less sleep duration. But how toactivate dark mode? Read on to find out which systems already have it.

Operating systems offer dark mode

iPhone dark mode has been available since the iOS 13 update. The possibility of changing the colors of the operating system has also been extended to some apps,such as the dark mode of Facebook or Instagram, which adapts its display mode according to the configuration of the operating system of the device.

The Android gives the dark mode in its version 10. But users of previous versions of that operating system can also activate it, even the Whatsapp  dark mode, but to do so it is necessary to use it with the use of Android dark mode app.