WhatsApp dark mode FAQ: What is it and how can you get it?

WhatsApp has launched Dark Mode on iOS and Android phones. WhatsApp in a blog post said, "We are very excited to update WhatsApp with the most requested feature from our users everywhere - dark mode".

According to WhatsApp, the dark mode is designed to reduce eye strain in low light environments.  The dark theme on WhatsApp 3 will be mostly pure black on iOS devices and a darker gray on Android. The much-awaited feature was released by the Facebook with a launch video titled 'Hello Darkness', which included unreleased version of "The Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon.

Android 10 OS or iOS 13 updated phones will already have dark theme activated system-wide. However, for an Android 9 OS user, one needs to go to WhatsApp settings menu and enable the dark theme manually.

How to enable WhatsApp dark mode on Android

Step 1: Open the WhatsApp app

Step 2: Click on the action overflow menu (three vertical dots in the upper right corner)

Step 3: Go to 'settings'

Step 4: Select chats

Step 5: Select themes. Then select 'Dark'

Apart from dark theme, users will also get get a choice of two other themes-'Light mode' and 'System default'. The 'Light mode' is the regular mode.  The 'system default', allows users of Android 9 and lower OS versions, automatically switch to light/dark theme, in accordance to Battery Saver settings.

For iOS phones, it is necessary that the device runs on iOS 11 or later versions.