Android 10 is here and that means the system-wide dark mode is here too.
If you struggle with battery life or just use your phone a lot while in dimmer rooms, this is the feature for you.
Of course to get this you’ll currently need a Pixel phone as the update is only rolling out to Pixel devices for now. For those that don’t have the update yet themselves, meet Android 10’s system-wide dark mode.
System-wide Dark Mode is easier on the eyes
Dark Mode is more than just a new coat of paint for your system menus and app UIs. It doesn’t just refresh the look to carry on a darker theme than what Android users are used to. It’s physically easier on the eyes.
Of course most users probably know this as dark themes have been available in some form for a while. Now that the dark mode is available system-wide, using your phone at its lowest brightness won’t be as needed.
Android for around the last two versions has been drenched in a sea of white from menus to apps. This could have caused issues with eye strain if you were using it in dimmer settings, like at night when in bed.
With Android 10 now offering system-wide dark mode, it can help to reduce eye strain. Making it easier for you to use even if the room itself that you’re in is dark.
Battery life can be increased as well
Reducing the strain on your eyes is one pretty big benefit from the darker look. It’s not the only benefit though.
Battery life has been a constant struggle for many users on Android for years. While things have been getting better with each release, more improvements to battery life are usually not discouraged by users.
Dark mode across the system can help lower the battery usage from the system because black uses up less power than all of the white.
Google says dark mode can reduce power usage by a significant amount. It also says that this will also depend on the technology of the screen being used on each device.
With that in mind, your mileage may vary when it comes to how much better your batter life is with dark mode on compared to not.
Enabling dark mode is quite simple
Getting the system-wide dark mode set up in Android 10 is actually a pretty simple process. So if you have the Android 10 update already installed on your Pixel device it’s easy to get to.
In fact, on a Pixel device there are three ways to turn it on.
Battery Saver Mode
First, if you enable Battery Saver Mode on a Pixel device, then dark mode is turned automatically with it. This is not only a time saver but it makes sense given dark mode’s ability to lower power consumption.
Though enabling the new darker theme will certainly help your device use up less battery, the Battery Saver Mode can be a sort of one-two punch to wrap it all up together.
From the quick settings panel
In addition to this method, you can enable dark mode by sliding down your quick settings menu and tapping on a new dark mode tile. This is perhaps the quickest way to turn it on.
This may or may not be immediately visible in your quick settings panel. If it isn’t, simply tap on the “edit” button to bring up the tile options. Scroll until you find the one you need and drag it up to the top where the enabled tiles are.
You can also drag and drop into whichever order you want it to be in.
From the settings menu
Lastly, dark mode (actually referred to as dark theme in the system menu) can be accessed from settings. Here, you’ll need to open settings the head to display settings, and enable the dark theme toggle.
Once done you’ll notice the dark mode across all of the main system including your notifications shade, settings menus, and more. This also enables the darker visuals in apps, though only if the app supports it.
Dark Mode will make the user experience better
Perhaps not for all users, but for many, dark mode will make the user experience better, because of its ability to both reduce eye strain and save battery life. It’s also easy to turn on and off on a whim. Meaning, you can toggle it on when it’s late or just when you want to lower your phone’s battery drain.
When you’re feeling a little nostalgic for the standard white look, you can toggle dark theme back off. That essentially is the ticket. Users will now have an easy access button to turn this on whenever they feel like it. It gives them more control over how they want their phone to look. And, users do like to have as much control over their devices as possible.