How to get dark mode on Whatsapp in 2020

WhatsApp dark mode: How to turn on dark mode in WhatsApp chat

Everything you need to know about WhatsApp's new look

WhatsApp dark mode is nearly here, and some Android users have even been able to get an early glimpse of it by exploiting a small bug in the current beta release. So what is it, why does it matter, and when will it roll out?

WhatsApp dark mode is a new design for the hugely popular messaging app, which will swap its current palette of light gray and green for shades of black, teal and midnight blue. It won't replace the current look completely, but will be available as an option for anyone who wants to use it.

There are several reasons why you might want to try it. First of all, some users find dark backgrounds easier to look at for long periods of time, as there's less glare than you get with a light colored interface. Darker screens also use less power (particularly if your device has an AMOLED display, as explained in the video below. Finally, it just looks cool.

How to get WhatsApp dark mode

You might be able to get a sneaky early glimpse of WhatsApp dark mode if you have a phone running Android 10, and are part of the beta program.

Ensure your phone is set to dark mode

Download the latest version of WhatsApp Beta.

Open the YouTube app, select a video, tap 'Share' and copy the URL

Open WhatsApp Beta and select a contact or a group chat

Paste the video URL as a new message

With the keyboard still open, tap the video thumbnail to start the YouTube player

This trick doesn't always work, but if you're lucky, the app will switch to dark mode when the YouTube picture-in-picture player is started,

If you want to be the first to try dark mode for WhatsApp when it's launched officially, you'll need to join the beta program. If you use an Android device, you can sign up and download the beta through the Google Play Store. The beta program for iOS is currently full, but it could re-open at any time. If it does, you'll need to install TestFlight on your device, then sign up to join the program.

When dark mode finally arrives, it's likely that there will be several ways to activate it. From what we've established by combing through the app's install files, you will be able to activate dark mode using a simple switch in the app's settings, which you can access by tapping the menu bottom at the top right.

It also looks like WhatsApp dark mode will activate automatically when you switch on your phone's power-saving mode. This makes a lot of sense, and is sometime we'd like to see other apps embrace.