Following the trends of Facebook Messenger and Viber that introduced dark modes for their apps, Twitter has also introduced an enhanced dark mode called Lights Out. Although the feature was available since 2016, the enhanced version of the dark mode is more user-friendly and allows phones with OLED screens to save more battery.
Up until today, Twitter’s dark mode wasn’t literally dark mode. It still sported the combination of a blue-gray user interface which although offered comfort to the eyes, didn’t do so completely. Posting a tweet on its social media network, Twitter wrote:
It was dark. You asked for darker! Swipe right to check out our new dark mode. Rolling out today. pic.twitter.com/6MEACKRK9K
— Twitter (@Twitter) March 28, 2019
The enhanced dark mode was likely hinted at earlier this year, when one Twitter user complained about its graphical user interface, saying how all apps should have the same dark mode, as should Twitter, and the response of Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey was quick to follow, saying that it’s coming soon:
Twitter’s blue-and-gray interface, however, remained in use, now being called Dim. That said, if you like its color patterns, you can continue using it. Lights Out, however, doesn’t let the phone emit any kind of lights to your smartphone, disabling the pixels, which can have benefits on the battery life, while also putting less strain on the eyes, especially during the night.
Was just talking about this with @kayvz. Will fix.
— jack (@jack) January 20, 2019
Twitter also said that the feature can switch automatically, depending on the timezone.
According to Engadget, the dark mode is only available to iOS users at the moment. Android and the web version will also get Lights Out, but the time frame is still unknown. The iOS users can update their app to use Lights Out as soon as possible.
According to 9to5Mac, users report that the new feature is showing up for them after restarting Twitter. There are also the new icons which describe the features, and below you can see an explanation of how each mode is now.
Dim: The blue and gray user interface switched its name to Dim. The feature that was introduced as the initial dark mode on Twitter in 2016 will continue sitting on the app in case people like it. While it does offer some relief to eye strain, it still offers a color palette for a variety of light environments.
Lights Out: The new theme for Dark Mode comes with a pure black palette and emits no light that could put strain on the eyes. If the Dim theme wasn’t sufficiently dark, users can now make it even darker. The theme mimics other dark theme apps so switching between these apps at night becomes much easier for users.
Automatic Dark Mode: Twitter also added a smart version of its enhanced dark theme. When Twitter’s iOS users enable automatic dark mode, that means they will be switching between the light and dark user interface with respect to the current time zone. That said, if you’re currently in daylight, the phone will switch to its traditional white and blue interface, but as the day is wrapping up, your app will change to the dark mode. That way, your eyes have a tool that they can more easily adjust to.