When it comes to mobile apps and operating systems, many users like to use dark mode because, by flipping the color scheme so the background is dark and the text is light, the screen tends to be easier on the eyes. A secondary benefit is that this color scheme takes less energy to produce, so it has the potential to extend battery life a little.
No matter what device you use WhatsApp on — iPhone, Android, or the Windows desktop — you can enable dark mode with just a few taps or clicks.
How to turn on WhatsApp's dark mode on Android
You can manually set WhatsApp to use dark mode anytime you like, or you can set it to follow whatever theme your Android OS is using. So if you have your phone set to switch to dark mode in the evening, WhatsApp can follow suit.
1. Start WhatsApp and then tap the three-dot menu at the top right of the screen. In the drop-down menu, choose "Settings."
2. On the Settings page, tap "Chats."
3. Tap "Theme."
4. In the pop-up window, choose the mode you want to use. If you tap "Dark," WhatsApp will automatically switch to dark mode. If you choose "System default," it will use the operating system's dark mode whenever it goes on.
How to turn on WhatsApp's dark mode on an iPhone
WhatsApp takes its dark mode cue entirely from iOS. To turn on dark mode, enable it from your iPhone's Settings.
1. Start the Settings app and then tap "Display & Brightness."
2. At the top of the screen, tap "Dark" to turn it on immediately or swipe the button for "Automatic" to the right.
3. Start WhatsApp. If the phone is in dark mode, the app should be as well.
If you are running an older version of iOS, there's still a setting in WhatsApp to enable dark mode. Prior to iOS 14, start WhatsApp, tap "Settings," then "Chats." Tap "Theme" and turn on dark mode.
How to turn on WhatsApp's dark mode on a Windows desktop
If you're using the latest version of the WhatsApp desktop app, you can enable dark mode there as well.
1. In WhatsApp, click the three-dot menu at the top of the conversation list pane and in the menu choose "Settings."
2. Click "Theme."
3. In the "Choose theme" pop-up window, click "Dark" to turn on dark mode right away. If you want WhatsApp to follow whatever theme is selected in Windows, choose "System default."
The system default is set in Settings in Windows. Go to "Personalization" then "Colors" and then set the "Choose your default app mode" to "Dark."
How to turn on dark mode on WhatsApp's web browser client
If you instead use WhatsApp in a web browser, you can still enable dark mode in a few simple steps.
1. Open WhatsApp's web client in your browser of choice.
2. Click the "more" icon, the three vertical dots in the chat panel on the left side of the screen.
3. Click Settings in the dropdown menu.
4. Click "Theme" from the next menu.
5. Select "Dark" and click "Ok."
