It’s common for people to experience eye strain when using their phones at night, but the harsh blue light from screens can make it difficult to sleep, cause headaches, and more. Many apps, websites, and smart devices offer dark mode as an alternative to solve this problem.
What is dark mode?
Dark mode (sometimes called night mode) is a setting where the app’s color scheme is changed to a darker landscape. Another term for dark mode could be bedtime mode – this is the display setting if you plan to stay up for a while with the lights off. You can turn on dark mode on Facebook and other apps, including Snapchat.
Unfortunately, not all apps offer a night mode; Even some of the most popular ones have not yet added this beneficial feature.
Regardless of the capabilities of other apps, here’s how to enable dark mode on Snapchat.
How to enable dark mode in Snapchat on iOS
Snapchat, the widely used picture messaging and chat app, launched a dark mode option for iOS/iPhone in October 2019, just a few weeks after Apple added a dark mode setting to iOS. Here’s how to use it.
- Go to your profile on Snapchat by clicking on your “Bitmoji” in the top left-hand corner.
- Select the “Gear icon” (Settings) at the top right.
- Scroll down and choose “App appearance”.
- Choose “Always dark.”
How to use dark mode in Snapchat on Android
Unfortunately, Snapchat hasn’t released Dark Mode for Android, but it looks like they’re updating everything else. It’s been about three years (October 2019) since “Dark Mode” was released on iOS/iPhone, so it’s probably safe to say it won’t be coming to Android.
However, some users may have Dark Mode (beta mode) available depending on their location in the world. Maybe Snapchat discovered a problem they can’t seem to solve? We will never know.
Android Snapchat may not support dark mode natively, but you can try a workaround.
The process consists of turning on “Android Developer Mode” and using “Settings” to force dark mode on Snapchat and all other apps. Forcing dark mode on the operating system can disrupt some visibility features of any app, including Snapchat.
Note: For Android 10 and later, Forcing dark mode on the OS doesn’t seem to work for Snapchat. Maybe Snapchat’s progress with dark mode on Android used Android 9 and earlier? The answer remains a mystery.
Anyway, here’s how to try it out to see if it works for you.
- Swipe down on your screen and select the “gear icon” (Settings) at the top right.
- Choose “Show.”
- Allow “Dark theme.” On some phones, it may appear as “Dark mode.”
- To return to “Settings” and touch “System.”
- Play the “Advanced” drop-down menu, then select “Developer options.”
- Scroll to “HARDWARE ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE”Section, then tap “Null force-darkness” to activate the option.
The “Override Force Darkness” setting found in “Developer Options” replaces the old “Force Dark Mode” setting in the “Display” options menu, but is very similar. The “force” in “Override dark mode” causes dark mode to always remain on so that apps use the system’s dark mode settings (not the app’s settings). This scenario occurs because the old “Force Dark Mode” in the “Display” settings is now labeled as “Dark Theme”, which may not work for some apps and never turns off automatically.
There is another app available on Play Store called “Blue light filter” which, while it doesn’t add dark mode to Snapchat, does allow you to change the strong lights emitted from your phone’s screen.
The Blue Light Filter app does not require rooting your Android phone but acts like a movie over the screen. If you’re looking to reduce the harsh lights on Snapchat, the blue light filter is a non-invasive option.
Snapchat Dark Mode FAQ
Here are the answers to more questions about Snapchat and dark mode.
Does dark mode extend battery life?
Most users who activate a darker theme will find that their device’s battery will last a little longer after the change. Using a lighter one requires more battery to power the bright colors and is therefore not the best option when trying to save battery.
Will Android users ever get dark mode for Snapchat?
Right now, the answer to this question is that it is possible. Unfortunately, even as of early 2022, Snapchat has not released any official confirmation of the darker theme for Android users.
Of course, if you are an Android user, you can request dark mode (send feedback) to the developers. All you need to do is open Snapchat Settings and tap “I have a suggestion.” Fill out the form and tap “Submit.” The more users request the feature, the more likely Snapchat will prioritize it.
Darken
Enabling dark mode in your apps can be very useful, whether to reduce general eye strain, to facilitate sleep, or simply because you like it better. Generally, Snapchat makes it pretty easy to enable dark mode on iOS. While it requires a little more effort on Android devices, we hope this tutorial sheds some light on the topic.
Do you have any tips, tricks, or questions related to Snapchat Dark Mode? Leave a comment in the p below!
