The so-called dark mode which actually is called Dark Theme has come to android. One of google’s new features which are now live on all Pixel devices and other Android phones is dark mode. This feature is widely liked in the community and it also has utilities.
It’s essentially a dark mode for your whole device that flips the color palette of all menus and nearly every native Google app, including YouTube and Chrome. It also works with some third-party apps such as Instagram and Reddit. Although the list of expected apps to come is yet growing and in development for some.
So why is it a big deal? Given that your screen is your phone’s biggest battery drain, pumping out less light should give you longer between charges. Google claims Dark Theme can “reduce power usage by a significant amount”, depending on the screen tech of the device you’re using.
Dark Theme is only one small part of Android 10, previously referred to as Android Q. The update also adds iOS-like Gesture Navigation, privacy controls, and a Focus Mode that shuts off notifications.
How to activate Android 10’s Dark Mode
You have two ways to enable Dark Theme, and we’ll run through them all below, step by step.
- You can enable Dark Theme straight from your system settings. All you need to do is tap the settings icon – it’s the little cog in your pull-down notification bar – then hit ‘Display’.
You’ll see a toggle for Dark Theme: tap to activate it and you’ve then got it up and running.
- You can enable it by Quick Settings
If you don’t want to scroll through your settings every time you need Dark Theme, there’s a much quicker option that involves pinning it to your Quick Settings, which are the big tiles that appear when you pull down your notification bar.
To add Dark Theme to your Quick Settings, pull your notification bar all the way down until you see a large grid of tiles. You may need to pull down twice on the notification bar – you want it looking like the picture below. Then, tap the pen icon at the bottom of the drawer.
Hold and drag the Dark Theme icon into the top folder, alongside your WiFi, Airplane Mode, and Battery Saver icons, as shown above (the Dark Theme icon is the one in the top-right). If you drop it near the top of the grid, it will also appear in the slimmer icon bar that appears the first time you drag down your notification bar.
The next phones we’re expecting to get Android 10 are those from Samsung, LG, OnePlus and Xiaomi. All these companies have had their phones on the beta program. Which is why now soon they are going to get a rollout for the update.
Images credit of Google.com