The dark mode is a display setting for laptops, smartphones, or tablets. A light-colored text is presented against a black or dark screen in this mode instead of the default dark text appearing against a light screen. While the light mode is the default setting for most apps and phones, users must enable the dark mode feature.
When the dark mode is enabled, the light emitted by the devices’ screens is reduced while maintaining the required color contrast ratios for optimum readability. The feature is available on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, etc. However, even if dark mode is enabled on your device, there are individual applications that require you to set dark mode separately for them. For instance, you can switch Gmail to dark mode or use WhatsApp in dark mode.
Setting up dark mode
If you are using an Android phone updated to Android 10 or iPhone updated to iOS 13, your phone supports system-wide dark mode. But this applies to supported applications. Several apps have their dark mode feature, and you need to activate it individually.
Activate dark mode on iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch by tapping Settings > tapping Display & Brightness > selecting dark to turn on dark mode.
You can even switch on dark mode from the control center. Open the control center > tap and hold the brightness control > tap dark mode on. Moreover, it is possible to turn on dark mode automatically at a specific time. Tap Settings > tap Display & Brightness > tap Automatic > tap options to set a schedule for dark mode.
You can activate dark mode on Android by going to Settings > clicking on Display > tapping Advanced > toggling the dark theme on or off.
Reasons behind the popularity of dark mode and why you should consider using it
The primary aim of the dark mode is that the light emitted by device screens is reduced while the minimum color contrast ratios are maintained. So, you can read what’s on your screen without hurting your eyes. The reasons for its popularity are given below.
- The dark theme doesn’t hurt the eyes
When you see a light text against a dark background, the iris in your eyes feels burdened. Your iris has to widen more than it does for reading light text on a white screen. So, in dark viewing mode, the pupil of your eyes grows in size, and more effort is required to focus on things. But, at the same time, when your device is in low-light conditions, dark mode is preferred because it doesn’t hurt your eyes when you are reading large chunks of text.
- Designers and coders cannot get enough of it
More than 70% of software engineers prefer using dark theme downloads and dark theme IDEs. They prefer dark themes because they help the brains and eyes to concentrate longer. Also, it helps to enhance the coding experience. Visual Studio Code, Atom, and other popular code text editors use dark themes to help coders and engineers.
- Tech giants love dark themes
Major tech giants have started actively adopting Night Mode and allowing users to shift their viewing preferences according to their choice. These names include Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Apple’s iOS 13 and iPad, WhatsApp, Android 10 shadow mode, etc.
Since these companies and online platforms cater to the majority of the tech population on the planet, there’s no doubt that dark mode is here to stay and will only become more popular with time.
- The dark mode is user-friendly
Today, most people spend their time online. They are either watching online videos or scrolling through their social media feed. Since they are spending more than 100 minutes online, they need something to soothe their eyes, and that’s why dark mode became quickly popular. When users watch online videos or Netflix at night, the dark theme saves them from straining their eyes and encourages their online activities.
- Less power is consumed in the dark mode
Saving your smartphone’s battery should be your number one priority. Users are always trying to get more juice out of their device’s battery. Thanks to the introduction of the dark mode, users can think of saving battery life without much fuss.
Research has shown switching on dark mode can reduce battery usage by up to 63% on AMOLED displays, even when you have enabled maximum brightness. Moreover, you also have to think about white pixels. These white pixels are pretty power-hungry, and their brightness impacts both battery life and power usage. That’s one of the primary reasons most people prefer using the dark mode to save battery life.
The bottom line
The dark mode is here to stay, and more apps will adopt it as a core feature in the coming years. If you are still not taking advantage of this feature, it is high time you do. Save your eyes from unnecessary strain and help your device battery last longer.
