How to enable WhatsApp's dark mode

Finally, the moment so many people have been waiting for has arrived: WhatsApp now features built-in dark mode support. In a blog post, the Facebook-owned company announced WhatsApp dark mode is rolling out to Android and iOS devices around the world.

If you, like many others, try to take advantage of dark mode as often as you can, then this will be good news to you. Thankfully, enabling the WhatsApp dark mode is easy.

How to enable WhatsApp dark mode

• In the app, click on the three vertical dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to get to your settings.
• From here, navigate to Chats.
• Tap Theme. 
• Here, you can manually toggle between the light and dark themes.
  • In Android 10, you will also have the ability to allow WhatsApp to abide by your system default preferences as shown above.
  • In Android 9 or older, you will need to jump back into settings to toggle between themes manually.
• Back completely out of the settings, and enjoy the new WhatsApp dark mode!

Read also: Love dark mode? Here’s why you may still want to avoid it

As you can tell by the screenshots above, WhatsApp’s dark theme isn’t pitch black like some other apps. Instead, the WhatsApp developers have decided to opt for a color scheme that both aligns with the overall Android system theme and reduces eye strain. Not only do the whites turn to a dark grey, but the green accents are replaced by darker, cooler hues as well.

The WhatsApp dark mode is currently rolling out to users worldwide, so if your app doesn’t have the option to change the theme yet, be patient and it will land in due time. Just be sure to keep your app up to date. If you can’t wait for the OTA, you can always join the WhatsApp beta program, and you should have the new dark mode functionality right out of the gate.