How to use dark mode on WhatsApp

Like many other apps, WhatsApp supports dark mode. When on, dark mode changes the interface of WhatsApp to a black background with grey, white and blue text, compared to a white background with grey, black and blue text.

Dark mode offers less glare, making it easier on the eyes in lower light conditions, but it also uses less power. Here’s how to turn WhatsApp dark mode on.

How to turn on WhatsApp dark mode on iPhone

Prior to iOS 14, to turn on WhatsApp dark mode on iPhone, you could open WhatsApp > Settings > Chat > Theme > Dark.

If your iPhone is running iOS 14 or a later version of iOS, however, dark mode is initiated from the phone settings rather than WhatsApp settings. To enable it, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap on ‘Display & Brightness’
3. Tap on ‘Dark’
4. You can also choose ‘Automatic’ which will automatically change your phone to dark mode when evening sets in.

When ‘Dark’ is selected, it will enable dark mode across all the apps on your Apple iPhone. Dark mode can also be enabled from Control Centre.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap on ‘Control Centre’
3. Tap on ‘Customise Controls’
4. Add Dark Mode
5. Swipe down from the top right of your display on Face ID iPhones, or up from the bottom on Touch ID iPhones
6. Tap on the Dark Mode icon

How to turn on WhatsApp dark mode on Android

Like iPhone, dark mode on Android can be turned on from a device level, so if your phone is set to dark mode, WhatsApp will be in dark mode.

To do this:

1. Unlock your Android phone and head over to settings
2. Scroll to the display settings
3. Look for “Dark theme” and turn it on
4. You can also schedule the dark mode in these settings if you prefer it at a certain time of day

If you don’t want to apply dark mode to your entire phone, you can also choose dark mode or light mode through WhatsApp itself. So you only see it in that app.

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Tap on the three-dot menu button
3. Open ‘Settings’
4. Open ‘Chats’
5. Select ‘Theme’
6. Select ‘Dark’
7. Or you can choose System Default, which uses your device’s settings.

How to turn on dark mode on WhatsApp web

If you use WhatsApp on the web then you can also use dark mode there. Just like on your phone you can turn dark mode on at the system level on your Mac, in Chrome or Windows.

To turn WhatsApp desktop’s dark mode:

1. Head over to https://web.whatsapp.com/
2. Click on the three-dot menu near your profile picture (not the one on chats)
3. Click on settings
4. Look for theme settings and click that
5. Select either dark or system default
6. Click ok