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The main Facebook app on Android and iOS still doesn’t offer dark mode. People have been asking for that feature for a long time now, and the company will soon deliver, it seems.
Screenshots of dark mode running on the Facebook app have surfaced. These screenshots show the dark theme on the Facebook app for iOS, but it will look basically the same on Android.
Dark mode coming to Facebook app, but it won’t be pitch black
As you can see, Facebook opted for a dark gray dark theme, not pitch black one. This is quite interesting considering the fact that Facebook Messenger and Instagram offer pitch black dark themes.
According to the provided information from 9to5mac, users will be able to manually enable or disable dark mode via the in-app settings section. Dark mode scheduling will also be available, but we’re not sure if it will become available straight away.
The source notes that there is still no information on when is Facebook planning to release dark mode for its app. It also notes that it is possible the design will change by the time it arrives.
The source also noted that it’s possible this is just one of several designs. There’s always a chance Facebook is testing more than one dark mode implementation, of course.
There are some design inconsistencies visible in the provided screenshots, which leads us to believe this is not the final design. Having that in mind, don’t expect this option to become available that soon.
Instagram and Facebook Messenger, both apps from Facebook, have been rocking the dark theme for a while now. Facebook Messenger had it for about a year, and Instagram for half a year.
Android 10’s arrival inspired many companies to offer dark mode
Many companies now offer a dark theme for their applications. That has been the case before Android 10, but with the arrival of Android 10, and Google’s initiative to offer both light and dark themes, many additional companies decided to follow suit.
The dark theme helps with battery life on OLED smartphones, especially pitch black dark theme. Unfortunately, it seems like we won’t have access to that on Facebook. Things may still change, though.
Facebook will hopefully find a way to roll out this feature in the near future, as we’ve been waiting for too long as it is. Pretty much every competitor to the company released a dark theme already.
The feature may arrive to iOS first, and then Android afterwards. Facebook has a tendency to do that for some features, and it’s likely the same will happen with the dark theme.