A feast for the eyes of many, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced that it was rolling out dark mode for iOS and Android.
Finally. Dark mode on WhatsApp. #DarkMode pic.twitter.com/o4Ee5H7qpW
— WhatsApp Inc. (@WhatsApp) March 3, 2020
It’s a long-awaited feature, one that WhatsApp acknowledges in a launch video with lots of people squinting in pain into their phones. The short video, entitled “Hello Darkness,” includes a previously unreleased version of “The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon.
If you already have dark mode enabled at the system level on iOS 13 or Android 10, then WhatsApp will automatically switch over. Android 9 users can simply enable a new dark theme in the WhatsApp settings menu.
Facebook has tweaked its WhatsApp dark mode to ensure it lowers the brightness of a phone display. “During testing we found that combining pure black and white creates high contrast that can lead to eye fatigue,” explains a WhatsApp spokesperson. “So instead, you’ll notice a special dark gray background and off-white color that lowers the brightness of the screen, cuts down the glare, and improves contrast and readability.”
How to enable dark mode in WhatsApp for Android
As of March 3, 2020, dark mode is rolling out to all WhatsApp users around the globe. Even better, enabling it is very simple. Here’s what you need to do.
- Open WhatsApp from the app drawer or home screen.
- Tap the action overflow menu (three vertical dots in the top right corner).
- Hit Settings.
- Select Chats.
- Choose Themes.
- In the Choose Theme dialog box, select Dark.
- You should see the interface switch to a dark theme.
It’s easier on the eyes, and if you have an Android 10 phone and set dark mode system-wide, there’s better visual consistency.
You can download the latest WhatsApp update from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store to get the new dark mode option.
