WhatsApp Dark Mode: How to Turn On and Off

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After what feels like decades of speculation, WhatsApp has officially rolled out “WhatsApp Dark Mode” to users. This latest addition is available on both iOS and Android, but it looks differenta bit depending on which platform you use.

Bymitrobe
March 5, 2020

“We are really excited to update WhatsApp with this most requested feature from users everywhere − dark mode,” WhatsApp wrote in a post today. “Dark mode for WhatsApp provides a fresh look on a familiar experience. It is designed to minimize eye strain in low light environments. And we hope that it helps prevent those awkward moments when your phone lights up the room.”

Here’s how you can access dark mode on WhatsApp right now

Turn on WhatsApp dark mode on iOS

Unfortunately, WhatsApp dark mode for iOS platform is currently available only on iPhone models that run on iOS 13. These includes:

iPhone 6S
iPhone 6S Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone X
iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max

If your phone has been listed above, then you are eligible to enjoy Whatsapp dark mode on your phone. To activate this mode, simply locate your settings menu and select Display & Brightness. Tap on to enable the system-wide dark mode, and WhatsApp dark mode will automatically be switched on for you.
If your phone has been listed above and you’re not yet running iOS 13, you will have to update your version to iOS 13 to enjoy dark mode.
Unfortunately for those using an iPhone model which came out before the iPhone 6S, iOS 13 cannot run on your phones, meaning that you can’t turn on WhatsApp dark mode.

Turn on WhatsApp dark mode on Android

Dealing with Android, there are two separate methods for turning on WhatsApp dark mode, and it depends on your phone’s version of Android. If your phone runs on Android 10, WhatsApp dark mode will turn itself on automatically when you enable the phone’s system-wide dark mode.

How to do this? Proceed to your phone’s Settings menu, hit Display, and hit the dark mode toggle. WhatsApp dark mode will instantly switch on.
For phones running on Android 9 and below, Whatsapp dark mode can be enabled from the Settings menu inside your Whatsapp application (instead of the phone’s settings as in Version 10). Go to Settings > Chats > Theme, and select Dark.
As you will see below, dark mode for WhatsApp differs between platforms. It’s more grey and blue on Android, while looking grey and black on iOS.

WhatsApp Dark Mode on iOS (left) and Android (right)

“When choosing colours, we intended to minimise eye fatigue and use certain colours that were closer to the system defaults on Android and iPhone respectively,” WhatsApp’s blog post explains.
WhatsApp says “information hierarchy” was also a big focus: “We wanted to enable users easily focus their attention to each screen. We did this by the use of colour and other elements of design to make sure that the most important details stand out.”
To mark the long-awaited launch of the dark mode, WhatsApp has even published a short clip that is soundtracked by a previously unreleased version of Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence.

Is WhatsApp dark mode not working for you?

If your device is eligible for Whatsapp dark mode, but you’re unable to access it after following all the guidelines in this post, do not worry. Whatsapp only started the roll-out process recently so it is normal that it takes a few days to complete. Meanwhile, you can turn dark mode on WhatsApp off by reversing the processes we provided above.

Cheers!