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Facebook to Release Dark Mode For Desktop Version

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Facebook has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in the last few weeks. What started as a reaction to claims of promoting hate speech, has now become news regarding a technology update. The social media platform has been receiving flak for its policies, advertisements, and views on freedom of speech. However, bucking the usual trend, the company has released a statement regarding a new update for the app. Here’s a look at what Facebook has been up to in the last few months.

Facebook Goes Dark

Facebook recently launched a dark mode version of its desktop application. The company also stated that it is working on a similar dark mode version for its mobile application. The testing for the same is underway, and the tech giant expects the update to be out soon. As reported by the SocialMedia Today, as of now, the dark mode capability has been opened to only very few users. Since the update is still in testing, the company is exposing few people to it, and adapting the interface as per their feedback. While the desktop-dark-mode came out last month, the mobile version does not have a timeline attached to it yet. The update came to help people cut down on glare, and help them view the website in low-light environments. 

Dark Mode
Image Source: DailyExpress

Slow to The Starting Line

However, fans were surprised that the tech giant took this long to come out with such an update. All of Facebook’s contemporaries have already come out with their versions much earlier. Notably, their own subsidiaries, Instagram and Whatsapp, went dark months ago, followed by the Facebook Messenger. Meanwhile, Facebook’s biggest adversary, Twitter has had a Night Version for both Android and iOS for quite some time. Google seemed to be the last to enter the arena, coming out with their dark mode, earlier this year. These updates, which allow users to change all background colors to black, have become quite popular with users. This setting makes things more comfortable for the eyes, is aesthetically pleasing, and consumes less power, allowing the battery to last longer. 

Difficult Times Ahead

However, as per photos put up by users with access to the feature, Facebook’s Dark Mode will not be pitch black. Instead, the functionality will have a grayscale design that uses white accents for icons and logos. Furthermore, along with introducing the Dark mode, Facebook also revamped its website design. The new navigation makes it easier to find videos and Groups, and help in faster page transitions. However, these updates come during troubling times for the technology giant. Over the past week, several major advertisement companies have stated they will not be working with Facebook any longer. This could lead to the company losing out on millions in the form of advertising revenue for the Zuckerberg-led company.

gmail dark mode

Gmail Finally Released the Dark Mode for the iOS and Android Users

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Though the smartphone makers can’t keep people from using their phones more, they are trying hard to help them escape any kind of healthwww.yourtechstory.com/2019/09/11/apple-event-2019-products-apple-talked-about/ issues. Last year, companies like Microsoft and Apple included such features to their OS that would alarm the user about how long they had been using their smartphone. Another thing that those companies have done is that included dark mode to the new OS they released.

On the same league, we had been waiting for similar dark theme on Gmail, too, and finally, the company has released the dark mode for Gmail. The new dark theme will turn the default white background into black. Gmail launched the dark mode theme for both iOS and Android today, but some of the users may only use it after fifteen or more days.

There are many users who use their smartphones and work on their laptops at night. Considering which, Gmail has incorporated the dark mode to it as the users won’t feel any strain on their eyes while using Gmail in the night time. And, it is not necessary that one can only the dark theme in the night. The dark theme can be turned on in the day time as well. Also having the dark mode will also save the device’s battery, as darker pixels need less power than lighter pixels.

gmail dark mode

The users already using Android 10 or iOS 13 with dark theme enabled on their device will get the dark mode on Gmail auto-adjusted. The dark theme will also be automatically turned on for Gmail on the Pixel smartphones if the user has enabled the battery saving mode on it. For the users using an older version of iOS or Android must make changes to their settings to get the dark theme on their Gmail.

You can check if your Gmail app has got the dark theme or not, from its settings. Go to the Gmail settings and under theme option, you will find the option to activate the dark theme. Else you might be among the users who, according to Google, will get the theme within or after fifteen days.

Waiting for the Whatsapp Dark Mode? Get it on Android, iOS Smartphones Before the Release

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The dark mode on Whatsapp has been in a buzz for at least a year now, and there have also been a few leaks about the features that the dark mode from Whatsapp will possess. The Whatsapp’s owner company Facebook has already provided the dark mode or the night mode for Facebook Messenger, and soon it will be available for all the Whatsapp users too.

Whatsapp dark mode
Image Source: cnbctv18.com

Though the dark mode for Whatsapp has still not been launched officially, the company has provided a way to get the beta version of dark mode, before it will be released for the general public.

The first condition to get the Whatsapp’s dark mode on an Android smartphone or the iPhone is to get the latest Android Q on an Android phone and iOS11 or the latest version of iOS on the iPhone. So, this is clear that a lot of people will not be able to enjoy the new dark mode at least for some more time.

Android Q is still in beta which is also available for only a few Android smartphones, including Google Pixel 2, 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, OnePlus 6T, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, LG G8, Nokia 8.1, Oppo Reno, Realme 3 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ3, Vivo X27, Vivo Nex S, Nex A, Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi Mix 3 5G, Essential Phone, Asus 6Z.

So who are among the owners of mentioned phones or the ones who can get the Android Q on their Android phones, can follow the steps below to get the dark mode on their Whatsapp:

  • Go to the Settings of the phone and select Display from the list.
  • In the Display settings, select the Theme option and then Dark.
  • Again you need to go to the Settings under which you need to select About Phone option.
  • Now tap on the Build Number seven times in order to activate Developer Mode.
  • As the Developer Mode has been activated, go to the Developer Option and then tap on Override Force Dark.

Now the dark mode will be activated on every single app on your phone. Though after enabling the dark mode, you will need to change the background wallpaper of your Whatsapp to make the dark mode completely enabled.

To get the dark mode for the Whatsapp on the iPhones, you need to take the following steps:

  • Go to the Setting and select General.
  • Under the General settings, select Accessibility and then Display Accommodations.
  • Here you will find the Invert Colours option, under which you need to select Smart Invert.

This way, you will get the dark mode for the Whatsapp on iPhone. Though you still need to change the wallpaper in order to get the dark mode completely.

The sparkling AMOLED displays in smartphones are clearer but brighter. There are only a few people who reduce the brightness of their phone while using it. Getting dark mode on the phones will help people with their vision, that is at risk because of their increased screen time. In fact, Apple has also included a dark mode in its latest iOS13.

WhatsApp to Soon Roll Out a Fingerprint Authentication Feature to its Android Users

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According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp may soon release a fingerprint authentication for its Android users along with the much awaited ‘Dark Mode’ feature. The company had been testing the beta version of the dark mode feature for Android for quite some time, and now a report is surfacing confirming the release of the same.

whatsapp
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WhatsApp is testing its beta app version number 2.19.82 and has submitted a new feature report to the Google Play Beta Program, which also includes the ‘dark mode’ feature in it. Facebook has already added the dark mode feature to its messenger, and according to the reports it soon will be bringing the feature to its other messaging app WhatsApp.

The dark mode has also been adopted by apps like Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, etc. The feature helps reduce the battery consumption for the AMOLED and OLED smartphones by reducing the full display pixel utilization. The company has also uploaded a screenshot along with the report that shows the dark mode in notifications settings, account settings, data and storage settings, and chat storage.

Also, WhatsApp has already provided its iOS app users with Face Id as well as Touch Id authentication for both iPhone and iPad, and now the Android users will also be able to use the Touch Id feature to authenticate their WhatsApp.

The new security feature has been spotted in the Android beta version 2.19.83. By default, the fingerprint authentication will be disabled and to enable the Touch Id for WhatsApp the users can select the option ‘Use Fingerprint to Unlock’, in the Privacy option under Account settings. Then the users will be asked to register their fingerprint for the authentication process. And, then the users can select the time span after which WhatsApp should lock, when not in use, i.e. after 1 minute, after 10 minutes or after 30 minutes. After enabling the fingerprint authentication, users will have to unlock the app with their touch Id, every time they would want to use it.

Though most of the Android users are already using the third party app locks for WhatsApp, an inbuilt authentication feature will add an extra security zone, and the users can ditch the other apps for the security.

The company is also testing and is about to roll out features including frequently forwarded and forwarding info and the audio file name in chat. The frequently forwarded and forwarding info feature will show the number of times a message has been forwarded, which may help in opposing the spread of fake news. Also, the audio file name in chat will show the name of the audio file sent over WhatsApp chat.