Android Q will arrive with the option to activate a system-wide dark mode.
At least, that’s the clear indications now following a leaked version of Android Q showcased by XDA-Developers. The upcoming version of Android was able to be installed on a device and screenshots were provided further highlighting the authenticity of the feature’s existence, while also providing a closer look at how the system-wide dark mode will look and work.
It would seem the system-wide dark mode works exactly as one might expect with the user able to toggle on the mode at any point and have it largely apply equally across the user experience.
What’s more, users will be able to either set the dark mode to automatically activate and deactivate based on the time of day (similar to how ‘Nigh light’ currently works), or opt to leave the dark mode enabled indefinitely.
The report also looks to confirm that the system-wide dark mode includes a ‘forced’ element which in principle will apply the dark mode regardless of whether a specific app naturally offers a dark mode. In other words, a true system-wide dark mode.
Dark modes have become increasingly appealing to users as they can make it easier to use a device when in dark environments, and in some cases can extend the daily battery life of a device.
The notion Google plans to introduce a dark mode is not totally new as the understanding is the company has been working on this for some time, with an additional albeit semi-confirmation of the feature having come through recently.
The version shown off in this report is not necessarily guaranteed to be the exact version Google launches later in the year. As this is an early build and therefore it is subject to change prior to arrival in its initial form.
Google is expected to launch the first version of Android Q in the coming months and that version will debut as a developer version. From there, it will go through a number of developer version updates before being released as a consumer-ready version later in the year. All of these different versions are also subject to changes and/or have features removed or added as the Android team sees fit.
In spite of these expected versions and changes, it would seem unlikely Google would totally omit the dark mode considering it seems to be a fairly substantial part of the user-facing experience with Android Q.
Besides the system-wide dark mode, there were some other features noted. The most interesting of which was what seems like a desktop mode which might work in a very similar way to how Samsung DeX works. Allowing users to connect their smartphone to a secondary display. Besides the noting of this at the code level, there were no further details provided.
The desktop mode code also made reference to experimental suggesting this might not arrive as a fully fleshed out feature, if it arrives at all.
Other Android Q aspects touched on included a revamping and improvement to the developer options, accessibility options, and the way in which app permissions are set and operated. The latter of which makes it easier to see what permissions have been granted and repeal those permissions at will. This feature will also offer the option to only grant permissions when the app is in use.
One of the more minor, but interesting additions is a new “Sensors off” toggle that’s included in Quick Settings. This is presumed to allow the user to quickly switch off all sensor-related aspects, likely including the accelerometer, gyroscope, and radios. Essentially, an even more robust version of Flight mode.
The version of Android Q shown here was installed on the Google Pixel 3 XL smartphone and while it is expected the Pixel variety of Android Q will come with a number of Pixel-specific tweaks, none were found this time around.