Everyone like using the dark mode. It’s not only pleasing to the sight, but it also conserves battery life. Google has been promoting dark mode on Android for a few years now. It started with YouTube and the Messages app, then moved on to Chrome and Android Q lately. According to rumors, Google Drive will soon offer a dark mode as well. It turns out that many third-party programs come with built-in dark mode. Some of these may already be in use by you. Here are 28 of the most popular Android apps with dark mode and instructions on how to utilize them. Let’s have a look at those.
UPDATE: With Android 10, most native apps, such as Google Assistant, Gmail, and Dialer, will have a dynamic dark mode that you won’t have to turn on manually. These apps will be released in phases, so it could take up to 15 days for you to receive an update after September 24, 2019. Keep the automatic updates turned on.
Have a look at the Best Calendar Apps for Android
Android Apps With Dark Mode
Social Media Apps with Dark Mode
1. Twitter
The official Twitter app now has a dark mode that you can turn on or off manually or have it shift automatically when the sunsets. I would have preferred it to alter in accordance with the system theme, but we’ll have to make do with what we have.
Go to Settings and Privacy > Display and Sound > Dark Mode and turn it on.
Install Twitter (free)
2. Instagram
Instagram was one of the last to implement dark mode, but it is now available after a long wait. It currently only works on Android 10 devices and alternates between dark and light modes based on the phone’s theme. To see it in action, simply update your Instagram app on your Android 10 smartphone.
Install Instagram (free)
Google Android Apps with Dark Mode
3. Play Store
It wasn’t fair that you could get apps that supported dark mode from the Play Store but the Play Store app itself didn’t. However, the irony is over, and you may now use Android 10 in dark mode. Simply update the app, and the theme will be adjusted according to the system settings.
Install Play Store (pre-installed)
4. Google Maps
If you use Google Maps to navigate through traffic on a regular basis, you’re probably aware that once the sun sets below the horizon, it automatically switches to night mode navigation. You don’t have to wait; you can alter it right now in the options.
Go to the Maps app and select Settings from the hamburger menu on the top right. Change the color scheme under Map Display in the Navigation Settings. Change the setting to Night and you’re done. Regardless of the time of day, when you plan a route on Google Maps, it will always display in Night mode.
Install Maps (free)
Messengers
5. Google Messages
Individual messages and menus in Google Messages include a dark mode. It’s simple to enable dark mode. Simply go to the top right-hand settings button and select Enable dark mode from the popup menu. The app suddenly turns dark and remains so throughout the chats and settings menus.
Install Google Messages (free)
6. Textra
Textra is a popular Android SMS replacement software that has a dark look. From the notification panel, you may easily compose a message. The app screen can be changed from bright to Night, Dark, and Pitch Black.
To enable dark mode, go to settings by tapping the options button on the top right. Change the theme to Dark by tapping Customize Look. Textra can replace your current messaging program and provide a similar, if not better, experience.
Install Textra (free)
7. Slack
The Slack app for Android includes a dark mode that you may enable to make late-night meetings easier to bear. Select Settings from the Options menu on the upper right. Dark Mode can be enabled by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
Slack’s entire UI turns dark after you enable dark mode, yet the top and sidebar retain the same color. You can change the theme to a darker one if you want to go full stealth mode. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do it from your phone; instead, you’ll need to launch the Slack program on your computer.
Select Preferences in the Slack program on your computer by clicking your workspace name in the top left corner. All the app’s themes are listed here, and you can enable any of them by tapping the bubble next to it. Kill the app on your phone and relaunch Slack, and you’re done! Theme: gloomy Dark sidebar on Slack.
Slack
Install Slack (free)
8. Facebook Messenger
Dark Mode: Manual
Messenger on Facebook includes a number of nice features. Messenger allows you to play games with your friends, use it as your default SMS app, and, yes, it has a dark mode that you can enable by sending a moon emoji to a chat. Alternatively, you can go to settings and turn on dark mode there.
Dark mode on Facebook Messenger
Install Messenger (free)
9. Skype
On the Android app, Skype has finally added a dark mode. If you don’t see the functionality yet, go to the Play Store and update your Skype app, then tap your profile avatar. Go to Appearance under Settings. There are two options available here: Light and Dark. You can adjust the color of the conversation bubbles and select a high contrast dark theme to make the chat bubbles completely black and white.
Install Skype (free)
File Managers with Dark Mode
10. Solid File Explorer
Solid File Explorer had become my go-to file explorer long before ES File Explorer was removed from the Play Store. File encryption, extraction, cloud integration, and, of course, dark mode are all characteristics that a good file explorer should have.
There are a variety of themes to choose from, ranging from White to Auto Light + Black. It allows you to fully change the UI to match your phone’s overall theme. You may also make the header and accents darker by changing the color of the header.
Install Solid Explorer (free)
News Apps with Dark Mode
11. Google News
Google News is a well-known news aggregator tool that allows you to access news from a variety of sources in one place. You can read about specific topics or sign up for updates on current events.
Google News’ dark mode is only available in the app UI. When you load a news story, it uses the website’s layout rather than translating it to the app’s native layout. Aside from that, the dark mode is adequate. If you already use Google News, you can stick with it; otherwise, the following app is likely to be a better fit.
Install Google News (free)
12. Feedly
Feedly’s dark mode is far superior to Google News’, as it provides a continuous dark mode throughout. You won’t have to worry about bright screens when reading any of the articles. The sole exception is websites that lead you to their own page; in this case, we can use special dark mode web browsers.
Install Feedly (free)
Web Browsers with Dark Mode
13. Google Chrome
We all use Chrome or have used it at some point, and while it isn’t the best browser available, it is surely better than the alternatives. Although the browser does not have a built-in dark mode, there is a solution that uses Chrome Flags.
It necessitates the activation of two Chrome flags in your browser. The dark mode for the browser’s UI is activated by one flag, while the dark mode for the webpage is activated by the other. The flags are simple to activate, and the dark mode can be enabled by following the instructions.
Install Chrome (free)
14. Samsung Internet Browser
On Android, Samsung Internet Browser is the closest competitor to Chrome. It boasts built-in ad blocker support, bottom-mounted controls, and a well-designed dark mode. Samsung realized that dark mode is the way of the future, and it looks especially good on Samsung’s Super AMOLED screens.
The setting isn’t obscured by a tangle of options, and you can toggle it on and off from the menu easily. To turn everything dark, tap the Hamburger icon in the bottom right and select Dark mode. It would not only alter the user interface but also the content of the website, and unlike Chrome, it would not simply invert the colors of the components. Use Samsung Internet Browser to properly implement dark mode.
Install Samsung Internet (free)
Dialer and Contacts with Dark Mode
15. Google Contacts
Google Contacts offers a dark mode that will help you keep your phone’s appearance consistent.
To activate dark mode, tap the hamburger icon in the upper left corner. Select Choose Theme from the Display section of Settings. You can choose between Light, Dark, or a Battery Saver-created theme.
Install Google Contacts (free)
Wallpapers Apps with Dark Mode
16. AMOLED Wallpapers 4K and HD
The majority of high-end smartphones have extremely bright screens that reach absurd levels. This software includes a variety of wallpapers created just for these phones. You can choose from a variety of categories, including Abstract and subjects like skulls, space, and heroes. The resolution is excellent, and the wallpapers look fantastic on full-HD TVs.
Simply choose an acceptable wallpaper and set it as your home and lock screen background. Yes, you may change the wallpaper on both of them.
Install AMOLED Wallpapers (free)
Videos Apps with Dark Mode
17. YouTube
YouTube has a dark theme that is considerably better and can be activated in a few simple steps. Go to settings by tapping your avatar in the top right corner. Enable the Dark theme in the General Settings section.
Install YouTube (free)
18. VLC Media Player
VLC is a video player with a lot of capabilities behind the hood, making it a good pick. And for example, it can play practically any codec and includes features such as closed captions, subtitles, multi-track audio, auto-rotation, gesture controls, PIP, and more.
By default, the layout is dynamic, but you can modify it and make the dark theme the permanent layout. Go to settings by tapping the hamburger icon on the top left. Scroll down to Extra Settings and select Interface from the drop-down menu. DayNight mode is the first option; choose the Black theme to go dark.
Install VLC (free)
Weather Apps with Dark Mode
19. Weather Underground
A weather app that tells you more than “does it look like it’ll rain today?” It provides local weather predictions, interactive radar, satellite maps, and informs you of any forthcoming severe weather warnings. To construct a hyper-local network, data is crowdsourced from various users, weather stations, and hobbyists. You can see up to ten-day forecasts. The app’s map remains white in dark mode, but the layout turns to a dark gray.
To use the dark theme, go to the top right’s settings button and select Settings from the drop-down menu. Select a dark mode from the Visual Style menu, and your weather app will now be dark.
Install Weather Underground (free)
Keyboards Apps with Dark Mode
20. Gboard
A good keyboard app can go a long way, and Gboard is one of the few keyboards that offer more than just emojis. It has motions, multi-language support, an integrated Google search, and even a clipboard. To add stealth to late-night talks, change the theme to one of the darker ones.
Go to Gboard Settings and select a theme to alter the theme. Solid color, landscapes, and gradients are just a few of the categories available. Select the darkest theme by tapping the see more icon below the Colors theme. It will offer you a preview, and then you may apply the theme.
Install Gboard (free)
21. Swiftkey
Swiftkey is yet another excellent keyboard app on my list.
Go to Swiftkey Settings and tap Themes to enable the dark theme on the keyboard. It will display all the available keyboard themes, allowing you to choose one and download it to your phone.
Install Swiftkey (free)
Books
22. Kindle
You may buy digital copies of your favorite books directly from Amazon and read them on your Android Kindle app.
The dark theme for Kindle just alters the app’s UI layout. You can easily change the background to black if you wish to read the books in the dark mode. It relieves eye strain at night and conserves battery power.
Check out Kindle (free)
23. Ebook Droid
Assume you have a lot of PDF files on your phone. How would you go about reading them? The Kindle isn’t a viable solution. Your best friend is Ebook Droid. All major document formats are supported, including PDFs, DjVu, XPS, FictionBook, and comic book formats, among others.
Any document can be rendered in dark mode. Simply launch the app, hit the settings button in the upper right corner, then select Book Settings. When the Day/Night box is checked, the dark mode is enabled, but any images in the PDF are inverted. You can correct this by ticking the box next to ‘Positive images in night mode.’
Install Ebook Droid (free)
Mail Apps with Dark Mode
24. Outlook
Outlook, the most used email client in the business world, now has a dark mode. On both iOS and Android, Outlook supports dark mode, with the iOS app switching automatically in sync with the system theme and the Android app requiring you to manually flip a switch for the Android version.
Install Outlook (free)
25. Nine.
Gmail is the most used email client on the planet, but for some reason, it still lacks a dark mode. Nine is a full-featured email client that works with all major email servers, including Exchange, Hotmail, Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud.
The dark mode is adequate, providing a black background rather than the dark grey found in other apps. It’s simple to activate the theme; simply go to Settings > General > Appearance and select your theme. Then select Use True Black to activate the black background. The black theme will now be applied to emails as well. You can, however, keep the message body theme if you choose.
Install Nine (free)
Alarm
26. Google Clock
In one package, you get an alarm clock, a timer, a stopwatch, and a clock. Because it is dark by default, you won’t have to worry about turning it on. The software connects to Spotify and uses your playlist as an alarm clock. This app can also be used to activate Google Assistant routines.
Install Google Clock (free)
Notes
27. Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking program, but it also functions as a planner, organizer, and journal. Handwritten notes can be scanned, and images, links, and audio recordings can be added.
The dark mode is available, however, it is not enabled by default. Toggle the switch next to the dark theme by tapping the hamburger icon.
Install Evernote on your computer (free)
Photo Gallery
28. Google Photos
In the latest version 4.18 of Google Photos, if you’re running Android Oreo or higher, you can enable the dark mode. To get the Build Number, click to Settings > About Phone and tap it seven times. It would issue a popup that stated, ‘You’re now a developer.’
Select Settings > System > Developer Options > Night mode > Always On from the drop-down menu.
Install Google Photos (free)
Read also: The 7 Best Add-ons for Firefox on Android
Final Verdict: Android Apps with Dark Mode
These are the apps that I recommend for Android users who want to use dark mode. If you have a high-end Samsung phone with One UI, if you haven’t already, consider enabling it. It immediately darkens the settings, notifications menu, and quick settings. Samsung programs such as the Dialer, Contacts, Gallery, Calendar, and others support dark mode.
The option to enable dark mode is not buried deep under a maze of options, and you can even select it from the Quick Settings menu. Go to Settings > Display > Night mode from the list of options to enable the dark mode on Samsung One UI. You can use it comfortably at night by enabling the Night mode. Only Samsung apps would be affected.
Users of the OnePlus One can also turn on dark mode from the Settings page. It’s compatible with OxygenOS 3.0 and up.
Go to Settings > Display > Scroll down to Themes to enable Dark Mode on OxygenOS. Colorful, Light, or Dark are the three options available to you. When you enable dark mode, it will darken the Settings, App drawer, and Quick Settings. Notifications, on the other hand, are kept to a minimum. The dialer, contacts, and messages applications all shift to a dark theme to match the phone’s general style, but that’s about it.
What are your thoughts on these dark-mode Android apps? Let me know on Twitter.
