What is dark mode, and why should I use it?

The phrase ‘going dark’ has held a number of meanings over recent decades, few of which are especially positive.

It has been used to describe a covert operative breaking off contact, a company no longer responding to customers, and even the phenomenon more commonly known as ghosting.

Yet going dark on a digital device is highly advisable, since it brings a series of user benefits.

Here’s what you need to know.

It’s always darkest just before the dawn

Also known as ‘night mode’ or a ‘dark theme’, dark mode describes a colour scheme where the background is either dark grey or black.

It’s routinely offered as an alternative to the ubiquitous white background familiar on word processing packages, web pages, app screens and even computer operating systems.

This conventional colour palette is effectively reversed, with pale or white fonts used to convey text, icons and other graphical elements.

It can be quite startling to see the visual difference made to a webpage or program as dark mode is turned on, especially if a brilliant white background suddenly fades to black.

Many people had their first taste of this phenomenon a decade ago when Windows 10 introduced a dark theme.

As is often the case, Apple’s macOS followed suit a couple of years later, though the rival iOS and Android smartphone operating systems launched dark modes at the same time.

Since then, individual app and website designers have often incorporated dark modes into their offerings, while the Firefox and Chrome web browsers have it baked in.

Dark distance

If you’re wondering why any of this matters, there are several good reasons to consider engaging dark mode on your laptop or – especially – your smartphone:

• Dark mode is less tiring for the human eye than staring at a bright screen, particularly on larger displays like PC monitors where eye fatigue, dryness and headaches may ensue.
• Displaying a white image on an OLED screen can use six times as much power as a black one, shortening battery life or consuming more electricity.
• There’s less chance of sleep disruption when viewing a dark screen at night, whereas the blue light emitted by a white screen might inhibit a good night’s sleep.
• There’s also less chance of disturbing people around you – such as travelling on a train or sharing a bed with your partner – if your screen is dulled rather than glowing.

How do I activate it?

Depending on your operating system and web browser, activating dark mode could be as simple as toggling a slider switch or selecting a menu button.

There are also app store utilities like the iOS-only Dark Reader, which is capable of displaying a dark theme across social media apps, webpages and even ecommerce portals.

It’s often possible to set dark mode to automatically activate at certain times of day or night, making its introduction part of your nightly routine.

Modern versions of Android and iOS both have a permanent dark mode built in, accessible via the Settings > Display sub-menu.

However, specific apps or programs may require separate activation.

Instagram’s dark theme is found under Accessibility, YouTube’s is in General > Appearance, and LinkedIn’s is located at Account Preferences.