The latest version of the iPhone software, iOS 13, was released this week. And, as usual with such a release, it includes a plethora of new features. One of those is Dark Mode, an option introduced in Android a year ago.

What is Dark Mode?

Dark Mode is an increasingly popular option amongst apps and entire operating systems. It gives a light-on-dark colour scheme which, supposedly, is better for your eyes and, in some cases, your battery. The backgrounds are often black or dark greys, in preference to the usual white.

However, not everybody likes them (which is always going to be the case for any colour scheme), so they remain optional.

How do you switch on Dark Mode?

On your iPhone, head into Settings -> Display & Brightness. At the very top you should see the following:

The top section lets you toggle between Light and Dark modes.

The “Automatic” option (switched off by default) allows your phone to automatically transition between Light and Dark modes.

The “Options” below it defaults to switching to Dark mode until sunrise – alternatively, you can change this to your own timings.

Does it work for everything?

iOS will automatically pass on the state of Dark Mode to any running apps and it’s up to them if they wish to support and action that. The same goes for widgets.

Naturally, all Apple apps, as well as the settings screens, the desktop interface and notifications all support it. Some third-party apps have yet to make the switch – most notably, anything developed by Google.

Here a few examples of Dark Mode in use: