Android Makes a Return to the Dark Side

Photo by Seeeditch / Public Domain

Holding 80 percent of the global market share, Android has risen to become the world’s most popular mobile operating system. Consequently, Android users can get their hands on a wide variety of apps, from specialized gaming apps from online casino platforms to productivity apps, and everything in between. Over the past year, Android has also made a welcome return to the dark side, and Dark Mode is now a feature of over 45 apps in the Google Play Store.

Earlier users of the O/S will remember that once upon a time Android was completely Dark Mode. Then Google decided on its Material Design language and LightMode (white) and changed things around. Still, lo and behold, last autumn, the tech giant confirmed that yes, Dark Mode did indeed save battery life on AMOLED displays and was a bit easier on the eyes to boot, so Android could go ahead and revert back to the dark side.

We already know that Android Q will natively support the mode — thanks to some juicy leaked screenshots that showed a device with system-wide Dark Mode and different toggles (Always On, Automatic and Always Off) — and it looks like Google will push for all future apps and screens to enable Dark Mode to ensure unity across the O/S. For those Android users happy with Oreo and Pie, however, there is a selection of apps currently available that do support Dark Mode, even on older Android versions. The following is not an exhaustive list, but as of June 2019, here are the apps we’ve found that can bring a little night into your life.

• AccuWeather: Weather Alerts & Live Storm Radar / Free

Developer: AccuWeather

• Discord – Chat for Gamers / Free

Developer: Discord Inc.

• Enpass Password Manager / Free

Developer: Sinew Software Systems Pte. Ltd.

• Evernote / Free

Developer: Evernote Corporation

• Feedly – Smarter News Reader / Free

Developer: Feedly Team

• Fenix 2 for Twitter / $3.99

Developer: mvilla

• Firefox Browser / Free

Developer: Mozilla Corporation

• Google Beta / Free

Developer: Google LLC

Some users of Google’s Beta app have reported that they don’t have the dark theme enabled in their app, but others (including Android Police) have found a way to activate it. It’s worth bearing in mind that this app is still in Beta stage, so Google is still experimenting with things, and that could explain why it’s not universally accessible. If you can and want to access the new feature, go to More > Settings > General > Dark Theme. It will switch up Discover, Explore, Search and Settings, and you can choose to keep it: “Always” on “Follow System Setting” or “Never.”

• Google Calculator / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Calendar / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Contacts / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Keep – Notes and Lists / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Messages / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Phone / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google News & Weather / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Google Photos / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Instapaper / Free

Developer: Instant Paper, Inc.

• JotterPad – Writer, Screenplay, Novel / Free

Developer: Two App Studio Pte. Ltd

• Materialistic – Hacker News / Free

Developer: Ha Duy Trung

• Medium / Free

Developer: Medium Corporation

• Memoria Photo Gallery Pro / $1.99

Developer: Memoria Gallery

• Messenger – Text and Video Chat for Free / Free

Developer: Facebook

Facebook Messenger started rolling out Dark Mode back in April, but for some strange reason, no one could find it, and you could only activate it by sending a moon message to your contacts. Thankfully, it has properly rolled out now to all users who can manually switch it on in the “Settings” screen.

• Monospace – Writing and Notes / Free

Developer: Jack Underwood

• Myki: Offline Password Manager & Authenticator / Free

Developer: Myki Inc.

• Oneplus Camera Roll – Gallery / Free

Developer: Lukas Koller

• Opera Browser / Free

Developer: Opera Software

• Pocket: Save. Read. Grow. / Free

Developer: Mozilla Corporation

• Pocket Casts – Podcast Player / $3.99

Developer: Podcast Media LLC

• Puffin Web Browser / Free

Developer: CloudMosa

• Pulse SMS / Free

Developer: Klinker Apps, Inc.

• QuickEdit Text Editor – Writer, Code Editor / Free

Developer: Rhythm Software

• Reddit / Free

Developer: reddit Inc.

• reddit is fun (unofficial) / Free

Developer: talklittle

• Samsung Internet Browser / Free

Developer: Samsung Electronics

• Signal Private Messenger / Free

Developer: Signal Foundation

• Slack / Free

Developer: Slack Technologies, Inc.

• Snapseed / Free

Developer: Google LLC

• Solid Explorer File Manager / Free

Developer: NeatBytes

• Sync for Reddit / Free

Developer: Red Apps LTD

• Talon for Twitter / $2.99

Developer: Klinker Apps, Inc.

• Telegram and Telegram X / Free

Developer: Telegram FZ-LLC

• Todoist: To-Do List, Tasks & Reminders / Free

Developer: Doist

• Tusky for Mastodon / Free

Developer: Keyless Palace

• Tweetings for Twitter / $2.49

Developer: RBD Solutions Limited

• Twitch / Free

Developer: Twitch Interactive, Inc.

• Twitter / Free

Developer: Twitter, Inc

The Twitter apps was another early-ish adopter of Dark Mode — much to users’ relief. Reading 140 characters or less on a four-inch screen was challenging enough, so the inky blackness of Night Mode brought relief and joy to tweeters the world over. It’s infinitely better than the default LightMode, and you can access it by toggling it on in the “Settings” menu to see what we mean.

• Viber Messenger – Messages, Group Chats & Calls / Free

Developer: Viber Media S.à r.l.

• Wikipedia / Free

Developer: Wikimedia Foundation

• YouTube / Free

Developer: Google LLC

We don’t have the exact stats on hand, but it’s safe to say that YouTube is one of the most popular content-sharing platforms across the globe. It may once have been a strangely curated collection of cat videos, dodgy home camera exploits and badly-filmed concert footage, but nowadays, YouTube is a source of information and content for virtually every topic you can think of and a powerful business development tool. It was also one of the first apps to rollout Dark Mode on Android, and you can switch it on in the “Settings” menu easily.