Score! Chrome for Android's 'Dark Mode' tipped to affect web pages too

We’d heard Chrome for Android could be getting a Dark Mode and we were already excited about the prospect. However, developments spotted by 9to5Google today suggests it may be even better than we first thought.

Following a poke around the Chromium Gerrit, 9to5Google suggests it won’t just be a darker Chrome UI as originally thought, but can affect web pages too. One of the new Chrome flags, #enable-android-web-contents-dark-mode, firmly suggests this, potentially putting the browser in the same category as Firefox for Android and Samsung Internet Browser in terms of capabilities.

9to5Google also suggested the effects of Dark Mode wouldn’t come at the cost of performance.

Health experts have linked backlit displays, and specifically the blue light they emit, to sleeping problems. With Chrome’s Dark Mode affecting web pages too, it would be better positioned to combat this, making webpages more comfortable to read at night (something many Android owners do).

Dark modes have grown in popularity in recent years, and can now be found in many apps and software programs. But we’ve also seen manufacturers offer night light or eye-care modes, which effectively filter out blue light without turning the screen dark. Android Q is expected to implement a system-wide dark theme when it launches later this year.

Who’s excited?