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IOS: You can use dark mode in iOS 13 and above. Open your “Settings” app, choose “Display,” then toggle “Dark theme” on. Here’s how to activate system-wide dark mode in Android and iOS.ĭark mode is available in Android 10 and later versions. With system-wide dark mode, the dark mode color scheme applies across the entire operating system of the mobile phone, including all compatible apps. System-Wide Dark Mode: Android and iOS (iPhone)īoth Android and iOS devices offer a system-wide dark mode option. Here’s how dark mode is used across a range of digital media: You can enable dark mode for an app, a web browser, or an entire operating system. Since computer UIs were originally designed to mimic familiar physical objects (files, folders, the “recycling bin,” and so on), it makes sense that the image of dark text on light paper would play a major role in digital aesthetics.Īlthough bright design continues to be widely popular, dark color schemes have now come back in fashion with the rise of dark mode. Over time, the light-colored themes we’re familiar with today came to dominate digital design. On these displays, color isn’t a limiting factor. Today, we no longer use CRT monitors at all-they were eventually replaced by plasma displays, and then LED and LCD screens. Early computers used CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, which at first weren’t sophisticated enough to light up the entire screen at once.īy the 1990s, technology had evolved, and desktop computers featured newer CRT monitors with a full array of colors. In fact, for the earliest computers, dark mode was the default option.Ĭheck out this photo of a Zorba 2000 computer, manufactured by Telcon Industries in the 1980s:īack then, dark mode wasn’t a deliberate design choice, but a necessity. While dark mode implies a dark-colored UI, night mode may simply dim the screen or use warmer tones to emit less blue light at night time.Īlthough the recent surge of interest in dark mode is new, the concept itself isn’t new at all. However, on some devices, night mode is different from dark mode. Some users enjoy switching between the two just to change things up, or to adjust their device’s visibility at various times of day.ĭark mode may also be called “night mode”. Many apps now make it possible to switch between light mode and dark mode. In fact, you can see it right here on the Vectornator blog.ĭark mode is the opposite color scheme: light-colored text on a dark background. You can think of this color scheme as “light mode.” Light mode is everywhere online. Typically, these apps use dark-colored text on a white background, mimicking the look of handwritten text on a white page.
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Think about the “classic” appearance of a text-based UI (for example, a word processing app, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs). Understanding why some users prefer dark mode can help inform your digital design decisions.ĭark mode is exactly what it sounds like-a dark color scheme for the UI of websites and apps. We’ll also provide imagery and screenshots of dark mode. What exactly is “dark mode,” where did it come from, and why are users suddenly so interested in it?īelow, we’ll explore what dark mode is, how it’s used today, and what its pros and cons are. Research from Android Authority and Polar revealed similar results, with 91.8% and 95% of participants respectively declaring their preference for dark mode.ĭesigners might be curious about dark mode’s recent explosion in popularity. A survey published on Medium showed that 82.7% of participants had used dark mode on their devices. This design functionality has proven popular with many users. Im all for dark themes and really like there are now utilities to style websites based on the users already set preference.A few years ago, you may have begun hearing a lot of buzz about something called “dark mode.” Google Trends data show that worldwide searches for this phrase began to rise in late 2018 and peaked in October 2019, soon after dark mode was first introduced for iOS and Android.
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There are some people who don’t think so, but why do we turn down the brightness on our monitors or use night mode utilities if light themes aren’t a strain on the eyes? White text on a dark background with should be easier on the eyes. Screens emit light so the inverse should be true.
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Paper is white because light bounces off of it, making the negative space created by the text pop and stand out. Screens emit light whereas paper reflects light. There is something fundamentally wrong with light themes. In order for computers to supplant print they had to use familiar tropes. Early computer screens were dark mode all the time, but the consumer wasn’t used to this.
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Early on it was most likely to make the transition from print to computer screen more palpable for consumers. We’ve been using light themes all this time for all the wrong reasons. Dark mode, except where glare is a problem.
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