Facebook is going against its bright roots and bringing a Messenger-style dark mode to its main app, according to this leak.
Tech blogger Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) discovered the unreleased feature while combing through the code underneath the recently updated app.
The news comes after Facebook unveiled its lightest and whitest design yet: FB5. The company has been rolling out the bright new design since February and to say that it could strain your eyes would be an understatement.
Dark mode has never felt more necessary for the social network.
People will start seeing some of these updates in the Facebook app right away, and the new desktop site will come in the next few months. pic.twitter.com/AQcNZPN1jW
— Facebook (@facebook) April 30, 2019
Related: Dark Mode: The popular apps you should try dark mode on right now
While Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp have yet to see any sign of an official dark mode, Facebook rolled out dark mode for its Messenger app back in April and we’ve been waiting for the company to transfer the feature to its main app since. For Messenger, dark mode started as an easter egg that activated when you pinged a crescent moon emoji to friends and family, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Facebook decided to roll out the incoming dark mode in a similarly sneaky way.
Dark mode is popular for a reason.
It comes with quite a few real benefits aside from its aesthetic quality. A dark background can limit strain on the eyes, especially when you find yourself in low lit environments (read: scrolling through your homepage in bed), and the feature can even have battery saving qualities if the background is largely black and you’re willing to invest in an OLED display.
Here's a closer look at FB5, including Dark Mode for web, coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Z55iUOdekr
— Facebook (@facebook) April 30, 2019
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It remains to be seen whether Facebook will welcome a true black interface and save you a good chunk of time spent charging as it did in its messaging app or if the grey background in Wong’s report will be the most prominent shade in the app. As it is, Wong kept it vague, describing the dark mode as “dark text displaying on a dark background”.
She also explained that the feature still appears to be in the early stages of development and that only certain parts seem to support dark mode at this point in time.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
