Dark Mode – What Is It, and Why Do We Need It?

Dark Mode – What Is It, and Why Do We Need It?

Published datePublished: May 29, 2019 Last Updated Last Updated: Jun 3, 2023 ViewsViews: 24974
Deepak Sinha

Deepak Sinha

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Deepak is a hands-on Technology Leader with expertise in designing software solutions for various successful projects for multinationals. He has total experience of 15+ years and has worked on all the phases of application development and has good experience in open source and mobile technologies. He is passionate on new Technologies and has strong interest on Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence etc.
Dark Mode – What Is It, and Why Do We Need It?

Do your eyes irritate when you use your phone at night? It’s probably because you are not using the apps in dark mode. The dark mode is a color scheme becoming increasingly popular across various digital platforms. Essentially, it is a feature that allows users to change the background color of their screens from white to black or darker colors like grey. That means no more squinting your eyes while looking at the screen. You can toggle the dark mode and enjoy using your phone at night.

This mode has several advantages, including reducing eye strain and fatigue, saving battery life on devices with OLED screens, and providing a more comfortable viewing experience in low-light environments. Additionally, it can also be helpful for users with certain visual impairments.

What is Dark Mode?

Dark Mode is a supplemental mode that can be used to display mostly dark surfaces on the UI. The design reduces the light emitted by device screens while maintaining the minimum color contrast ratios required for readability. The advantages of this mode are, it enhances visual ergonomics by reducing eye strain, facilitating screens to adjust according to current light conditions and providing comfort of use at night or in dark environments.

Additionally, it conserves battery power, thereby enabling device usage for longer periods without charging. Usually, it can be turned off or on using a prominently displayed toggle icon on the screen. Alternatively, it is placed in the menu options or within the app’s settings.

Dark Mode

What are the pros and cons of Dark Mode?  

The dark theme comes with its share of advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

  • It saves energy, mainly if the device uses an OLED or AMOLED screen.
  • While the dark text on a white background is the best in terms of readability, Dark Mode (which has light text on a dark background) is better for reducing eye strain in low light conditions.
  • With the majority of the screen dark, the screen glare is reduced, thereby minimizing flickering and blue light.

Cons:

  • Dark themes are not always better for eye strain. In bright light conditions, the text appears washed out, increasing eye fatigue.
  • Long pieces of content or text are more challenging to read in this mode.

List of Dark Mode Apps and Services

Google

Chrome Dark Mode

 

For several years, users have been waiting for Google dark mode android services and applications, but it’s only recently that dark mode has been included in many apps, including Chrome, Calendar and YouTube. In May 2019, along with update 5/22, Google introduced Dark Mode on several apps. Google Keep, which many Android users adopt for note-taking, features the option to enable dark theme as a toggle icon in the app’s settings. Instead of black, the app uses shades of dark gray.

Following are some of the popular Google Apps that offer dark modes.:

Google Drive

In the case of Google Drive, the dark theme doesn’t cover all versions of the OS. The recent update works well on Android Q, where users experience the shift between dark and light modes based on system settings. On Android Pie, the feedback varies from one user to another. It sometimes works on devices that have enabled dark mode settings. Currently, the dark theme on Google Drive is not available for iOS and desktop clients, but it will likely change soon.

Google Calendar

The calendar is another Google app that offers Dark Mode as an in-app setting on Android Nougat and newer versions. Like with other Google apps, the background colour is dark gray rather than black.

Google Chrome

When it comes to Google Chrome dark mode, the dark theme is accessible on macOS as well as Windows. It is a feature in the Google Chrome web browser that allows users to switch the browser’s interface and website backgrounds to a dark color scheme, which is easier on the eyes, particularly in low-light environments. Chrome dark mode can be enabled in the browser settings or by enabling the system-wide dark mode on the operating system.

For macOS devices running on Chrome’s version 73 or older, the browser appearance can be changed by toggling between Chrome dark mode and light mode. For Windows users, version 74 has the Dark Mode feature, which also matches the system theme. However, the feature doesn’t always function as expected. For Android users, a recent Canary update has introduced it as a flag that can be enabled to switch the theme. It’s only a matter of time before Chrome will feature dark pages on Android devices.

Google Calculator

Version 7.6 of Google’s Calculator App enables the theme as a three-dot option with an overflow menu in the app. Besides light and dark themes, users can choose to ‘set by battery saver’. More recently, Google has started the Dark Mode theme on its online Help Center to cover its extensive library of troubleshooting pages and tutorials. Here too, the background uses dark gray instead of pure black, with blue for hyperlinks and white for text. For enabling the dark theme, users can scroll to the bottom of the page and use the toggle icon on the right-hand side.

Google Discover Feed

After months of testing, Dark Mode has also been added to Google Discover Feed. However, it is not a manual option and works on system night mode settings. In its latest update, the Google Play Games app also offers the dark theme, but unlike the night mode that works on some of the other apps, the user has to set it manually.

Google Phone

As for the Google Phone app, it comes with Dark Mode in its latest update, and the theme extends across all areas of the interface, from contacts to the dialer, menu, and history. The manual switch for turning on Dark Mode can be found under the Display options in Settings.

A notable feature is that Google Phone and Google Contacts sync for the dark mode setting. If the user enables it on one, the other automatically switches to it. For the Google Contacts app, one needs to update to the latest version to get the option of dark mode. It is present as a toggle button on the side menu. Alternatively, it can be turned on from within developer options.

YouTube

YouTube is the app that is leading the trend of Dark Mode among Google’s offerings. While it has been available on the web and iOS app for a few months, it has recently arrived on Android. Similarly, Google News has introduced a dark theme to make it easier for users to read content in low-light conditions in the evening or at night. The app comes with the option of turning on Dark Mode always, automatically at night or when the device is running on battery-saver mode.

Google Maps

Google Maps is another app that features Dark Mode. However, instead of an app-wide change of display, the dark theme extends only to the navigation portion. Users have the option of leaving on the dark theme throughout the day.

Gmail Web App

Last but not the least, is the Gmail web app. Although it features custom themes that are dark, the options are limited. Once selected, the dark theme extends only to the general interface. When a user clicks on an email or a link, the white interface is visible. To select it, users need to choose the default white theme from under Themes and tap on the ‘dark’ option before saving the change in settings.

Android Q

Android Q Dark Mode

For years, Android users have been waiting for android Q dark mode in both the system as well as app interfaces. The recent increase in the number of Android apps that offer Dark Mode clearly shows the growing popularity of the feature.

While system-wide dark theme settings have been seen in Android devices for a while, it’s yet to make an official debut. Currently, the third beta release gives a preview of how it will work when it is introduced later in the year. The quick settings menu has a toggle feature for enabling the dark theme throughout the system and extending to system notifications and apps that support the Dark Mode functionality.

macOS 10.14

macos Dark Mode

For Mac users, the Dark Mode function is available for OS 10.14 and later versions. Once adopted, the theme uses a darker palette for all windows, menus, and controls. Additionally, the foreground is made more vibrant so that it stands out against the dark background. The macOS 10.14 Dark Mode is especially popular with Mac users for its easy toggling, and it provides users with a new and aesthetically pleasing look for their desktop and applications.

Moreover, the Desktop Tinting feature enables the system to choose a colour from the windows’ background screen and create a tint that allows the windows to blend better with the surrounding screen and content.

Facebook Dark Mode

dark mode 1

First seen as the ‘Easter Egg’ setting in early March this year, Messenger is now officially the first Facebook app to get Facebook Dark Mode. It’s available on iOS and Android. Facebook dark mode for iPhone can be enabled in the chat window by choosing the crescent moon emoji in a message or chat thread. The Facebook app dark mode makes it easy on the eye in the dark or at night when the blue screen light irritates your eyes.

When developing an app with Facebook Dark Mode feature support, it’s essential to understand the requirements as well as the user interactions with the app. From creating inheritance features between day and night themes to default themes enabled by system-controlled flags, our Mobile App Development Company in Los Angeles has years of experience in iOS app development and Android app development, including designing themes that incorporate Dark Mode functionality, such as Dark mode for Facebook.

How Can Tech Ahead Help You?

At Tech Ahead, we are dedicated to providing exceptional API development services to our clients. With our extensive experience in web development, we can create custom APIs and features that meet the unique needs of our clients. Our specialties include helping companies integrate APIs, features, and functionalities like dark mode into their digital products, such as apps, websites, and more.

Our team of expert developers collaborates closely with our clients to understand their requirements, preferences, and limitations. From there, we create bespoke solutions that cater to their specific needs. Our APIs and features are of the highest quality and scalability and are seamlessly integrated into existing systems. We also provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure our clients’ products remain up-to-date and secure.

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