How to Set Up Dark Mode on Your Favorite Apps (2024)

Many of us have jobs that require staring at a screen for upward of eight hours a day. (The other four hours, meanwhile, are spent ogling a smartphone, tablet, or TV.)

All that light and constant focusing/refocusing can put a real strain on your eyes. But since most folks can't just abandon all backlit technology, we turn to quick fixes like blue light screen filters or glasses. Another easy option: Swap bright white backgrounds for the grays and blacks of dark mode, and give your eyes a break (and save some battery life). Here's how to do that system-wide and on your favorite apps (sorry, Amazon doesn't currently have an official dark mode).

How to Turn on System-Wide Dark Mode

Dark mode on iPadOS (Credit: PCMag/Apple)

While not all apps offer an official dark mode—much to Elon Musk's chagrin, probably—many platforms have jumped on the bandwagon to help you dim the lights across entire mobile OSes.

iOS/iPadOS – Settings:

• Open Settings > Display & Brightness

• Select Dark to turn on dark mode

iOS/iPadOS –Control Center:

• Open Settings > Control Center

• Tap Add next to Dark Mode to add to Control Center

iOS/iPadOS – Schedule:

• Open Settings > Display & Brightness

• Select Automatic

• Tap Options to schedule Dark Mode

Android:

• Open Settings

• Tap Display

• Turn Dark theme on or off

System-wide dark mode is also available on macOS, Windows 10, and Windows 11.

Turn on Dark Mode Within Your Favorite Apps

Whether you want to turn to the dark side, or just can't find the right app settings, check out our guide on how to enable dark mode in some of your favorite apps.

Discord

(Credit: PCMag / Discord)

iOS/Android:

• Tap your profile icon on the bottom right

• Under App Settings, tap Appearance

• Tap the white or black circle to select Dark or Light mode. (Note: Android users can tap Dark 10 times to activate AMOLED optimized mode for an even darker mode.)

Duolingo

iOS:

• For dark mode on Duolingo for iPhone, turn on system-wide dark mode for iOS.

Android:

• Tap Profile

• Tap Settings > General > Dark mode

• Tap On

Facebook

(Credit: PCMag / Facebook)

iOS:

• Tap Menu in bottom right

• Tap Settings & Privacy > Dark mode

• Select on

Android:

• Tap Menu in top right

• Tap Settings & Privacy > Dark mode

• Select on

Facebook Messenger

(Credit: PCMag/Messenger)

Note: Dark mode is not currently available on Messenger Lite for Android.

iOS and Android

• Tap the hamburger menu on the top left

• Tap the settings cog icon

• Tap Dark Mode > On

Gmail

iOS:

• For dark mode on the Gmail iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.

Android:

• Open Gmail

• Tap Menu on top left

• Open Settings >General settings > Theme

• Tap Dark

Google Calendar

(Credit: PCMag/Google)

iOS:

• For dark mode on the Google Calendar iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.

Android:

• Tap the hamburger menu on the top left

• Tap Settings > General > Theme

• Tap Dark

  See Also

  Is Dark Mode Better For Your Eyes?Adjust the screen brightness and color on iPhoneUse Dark Mode on your iPhone and iPad - Apple SupportTake Night mode photos with your iPhone camera

Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/Slides

iOS:

• For dark mode on Drive apps for iPhone, turn on system-wide dark mode.

Android:

1. Open Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, or Slides

2. Tap Menu in top left

3. Tap Settings

4. Tap Choose theme

5. Choose dark, light, system default

Google Maps

(Credit: PCMag / Google)

iOS:

• Tap your avatar on the top right

• Tap Settings > Dark mode

• Tap On, Off, or Same as device setting

Android:

• Open Google Maps

• Navigate to your profile

• Tap Settings > Theme

• Tap Always in light theme, Always in dark theme, Same as device theme

• Tap Save

Instagram

(Credit: PCMag/Google)

iOS:

• For dark mode on the Instagram iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.

Android:

• Navigate to your profile

• Tap the hamburger menu in top right

• Tap Settings and privacy > Accessibility > Dark mode

• Toggle dark mode on or off by tapping circle next to On or Off

Kindle

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

iOS and Android:

• Open the Kindle app and select a book

• Tap the top of the screen and select the Aa button

• Tap Layout

• Under Page Color, tap the black circle

• Tap Themes > Save

• Enter name of theme ("Dark Mode," for example)

Outlook

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

iOS and Android:

• Tap your avatar on the top left

• Select the settings cog on the bottom left

• Tap Appearance

• On the Theme tab, select Dark (or System to match your system-wide preference)

• Under App Icon, you can also dim the lights on the home-screen Outlook icon

Reddit

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

iOS:

• Tap your avatar in the top right and tap the crescent moon icon on the bottom right to quickly switch between dark and light mode

• Or tap Settings > Dark Mode, where you can have Reddit follow system-wide settings.

Android:

• On Android, dark mode is only available if you have battery-saver mode on or you opt to have it come on automatically at nighttime. Find that under Settings > Dark Mode.

Signal

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

iOS/Android:

• Tap your avatar on the top left

• Tap Settings > Appearance > Theme

• Select Dark (or System to have the app mimic system-wide settings)

Slack

(Credit: Slack/Google)

iOS:

• For dark mode on the Slack iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.

Android:

• Tap You on the bottom right

  See Also

  How to Remove Background From Picture on iPhone (2024) | Fotor

• Tap Preferences > Dark Mode > On

• On Android 9 or lower, select Battery Saver to automatically enable dark mode.

Snapchat

(Credit: PCMag/Snapchat)

On Android, dark mode is limited to Snapchat+. Navigate to your profile and tap the Snapchat+ banner and tap Dark Mode.

iOS:

• Tap your profile avatar and select the settings cog icon

• Tap App Appearance > Always Dark

TikTok

(Credit: PCMag/TikTok)

Dark mode for TikTok is not currently available on Android devices.

iOS:

• Navigate to your profile

• Tap Menu at the top

• Tap Settings and privacy > Display

• Select Dark, Light, or Display to automatically match your device settings

To turn device-matching for dark mode on or off:

• Navigate to your profile

• Tap Menu at the top

• Tap Settings and privacy > Display

• Turn Use device settings on or off

Twitch

iOS:

• Navigate to your Twitch Profile

• Tap Options

• Toggle on dark mode

Android:

• Navigate to User Profile Settings

• Tap Theme options

• Toggle on dark mode

Twitter

(Credit: PCMag/Twitter)

iOS and Android:

• Tap your profile photo on the top left

• Tap the sun icon in bottom-left corner

• Tap Dark mode in the pop-up menu (or device settings)

• On the bottom, there are two options: Dim (dark mode) or Lights Out (true black dark mode)

Uber

(Credit: PCMag/Uber)

iOS and Android:

• Tap Account on the bottom right

• Tap Settings > Appearance > Dark mode (or Use device settings) > Save

YouTube

(Credit: PCMag/YouTube)

iOS:

• Tap your profile photo on the top right

• Tap Settings > General > Appearance

• Select Dark theme (or Use device theme)

Android:

• Tap your profile photo on the top right

• Tap Settings > General > Dark theme

• Toggle Dark theme on or off