Windows 10 has had dark mode settings for a quite some time, and Apple added it to macOS with its Mojave last year. But strangely, neither iOS nor stock Android offers a true system-wide dark mode option right now.
However, based on leaks and rumours about upcoming software, that could all change in 2019 for iOS and Android users. Earlier this month, Android Police noticed a comment made by Googler Lukasz Zbylut in the Chromium bug tracker stating that dark mode is an approved feature for Android Q.
Then, XDA Developers managed to get a preview of Android Q showing that very dark mode in action, and even though it’s an early build, the darker shades in Android’s various menus already look like relief for weary eyes. And if you look back at all the individual Android apps that got new dark mode themes this year such as YouTube, the Phone app, Contacts, Google News, and even the Pixel Launcher, it sure seems like Google is prepping for a big dark mode push later this year.
Meanwhile, over in iOS land, while you can get some of the same effects of a dark mode by turning on Apple’s Smart Invert option, it’s not quite the same. But in a new report from Bloomberg, alongside mentions of new laser-based 3D cameras on the back of the next iPhone and more rumours about an eventual switch to USB-C, Bloomberg also claims that iOS 13 will feature a new dark mode option “for easier nighttime viewing.”
If that’s true, 2019 could be a good year for those hoping to rid their mobile devices of frustratingly bright screens and menus. After all, looking at a white screen isn’t the same as looking at white paper, and it’s about time our gadgets had menus and UIs that make sense in a digital world.