Earlier in March, YouTube announced it was releasing Dark Theme for mobile after it arrived alongside a redesigned web interface. The feature first came to iOS, and now it’s finally rolling out for Android.
To manually enable it, tap on your profile icon on the top right, then go into Settings > General, and you’ll find the Dark theme toggle right underneath the “Remind me to take a break” feature.
YouTube developed Dark Theme specifically to cut down on glare and allow users to take in the true colors of the videos they’re watching. It’s similar to Twitter’s Night Mode, which also switches the app and web interface to darker colors that are much easier on the eyes.
For iOS users, you can turn the feature on and off through your settings as well. Simply tap on your account icon in the upper right-hand corner, and go to Settings > Dark theme, to toggle Dark Theme on or off. Once you exit from Settings, your background will automatically become dark as you scroll through the feed of videos.
YouTube has been making changes and adding updates to both its site and app since last August. The refresh initially started with a more modern logo.
The mobile app underwent slight redesigns last year as well. The header was switched to white, while the navigation buttons were moved to the bottom of the app. Another newer feature is the ability to play back vertically filmed videos on the entire screen of a smartphone — without the black bars on either side.
As for Dark Theme, it’s especially useful for those who prefer low-light settings. It helps to ease the strain on your eyes, since the darker colors are more gentle than the bright white to which most of us are accustomed. It could also be a nice change from what you’re normally used to seeing while on the site. Google, which owns YouTube, has been rolling out dark theme modes for select apps, such as Android Messages, the default texting app on many Android smartphones, and it has also built in a dark mode into its Pixel smartphones.
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