Twitter Inc Testing An Automatic Dark UI For Night

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Twitter is working on an automatic Night Mode, a feature it wants to bring to its official Android application, and is apparently in the very early stages of testing. The app’s UI is designed to automatically change to a darker appearance, and it should be easier on the eyes at night time. It is available only to a select number of alpha testers.

Twitter testing different button placements too

As of now, Twitter users just have the option of a standard white UI, but the new UI will likely consist a dark blue background with white text once it becomes available to all. Along with Night Mode, Twitter is testing different button placements as well.

Citing testers, 9to5 Google informs readers that Twitter is experimenting with hamburger slide-out menus, floating action buttons (FAB) and overflow buttons for composing new tweets. To access the profile and other settings, some variants have a hamburger slide-out, while others use a three-dot overflow menu.

A user states that the app automatically reverts to a white Day Mode in the morning. The app did not have any option of manually switching off Night Mode. The app with Night Mode was spotted last month, and it uses tabs for Notifications, Timeline, Moments and Messages.

Not a unique feature

Twitter is usually discreet with A/B testing, but the probability that the app is using a new feature found in the Android Support Library is very high. Quite a few users are now seeing the Material redesign of Twitter’s Android app, but the company has yet to make an official announcement.

This Alpha feature might take some time before making its way to Twitter’s stable version, but before that happens, Twitter will likely add more controls. Users intending to side-load the latest Alpha APK need to note that even on version A/B, features are rolled out server-side.

People interested in taking part will need Twitter’s alpha version. Though sign-ups are available, the acceptance rate is very low. Beta sign-ups are available as well with the acceptance rate sitting at 100%.

An automatically switching night UI would be a great addition to any application that keeps users glued to screens at all hours of the day and night. However, this is not a new idea. Many third-party applications have had an option that made switching to an inverted UI which is easier on the eyes when apps are being used in a dimly lit room.

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