Dark mode is a comfort-enhancing, eye-strain-reducing, and energy-saving feature that is increasingly appearing on mobile applications and websites. Is Reddit among them?
Many devices and platforms offer a dark mode feature, where instead of the conventional dark text appearing against a light screen, a light colour text – commonly white – appears against a dark or black screen. Most phones and applications, on the other hand, use this “light mode” as the default option.
Dark mode minimises the amount of light emitted by device displays while keeping the minimum colour contrast ratios needed for reading. Dark settings are available on both iPhones and Android phones. However, certain applications would need you to enable dark mode manually.
If you’re a Reddit user, you may be wondering if there’s a way to save energy (and hence battery life), minimise eye strain, and boost comfort while surfing your favourite subreddits by using dark mode.
Does Reddit Have A Dark Mode Feature?
Not only does Reddit have a “dark mode” feature, but it was also one of the first social media and entertainment apps to do so. Users even often post memes that are easier on the eyes, too.
In addition, Reddit provides a number of options that may be used to customise the appearance of its dark mode. You have the option of turning on Auto Dark Mode, which may be set to “off,” “following your operating software settings,” or “sunrise/sunset,” which will alter your theme depending on whether it is night or day.
When you turn on dark mode, you may choose from a variety of dark themes, including “night” and “midnight (AMOLED),” in addition to the standard on/off switch. AMOLED is only available on devices that support this quality feature, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
If you do, however, favour Reddit’s light theme, there are some theme alternatives available here as well. You have the option of selecting from the colours “Alien blue,” “Mint,” “Pony,” or “Trees.”
The ability to customise a Reddit theme is significantly greater than that available on other social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
How To Turn On Dark Mode On Reddit
So, now that you know Reddit does in fact have a dark mode, how do you go about turning it on and setting your exact preferences? Luckily, it’s extremely simple – just follow these steps:
On mobile:
- Open the app and sign in to your account.
- Tap your user icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
- Tap the Settings option in the bottom left-hand corner of the menu.
- Scroll down a little to the Dark Mode settings.
- Either set Auto Dark Mode to follow your OS settings or toggle “Dark mode” on.
- To change the dark theme, switch between either “Night” or “Midnight”, depending on your preference.
On PC Or Mac
- Go to the Reddit website and sign in.
- Click the arrow to the right-hand side of your username in the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Navigate down to View Options
- Toggle Dark Mode on.
Unfortunately, there are fewer options with how Dark Mode works on PC and Mac, however, there could well be some Google Chrome extensions that give you a few more options.
Advantages Of Using Dark Mode On Reddit
Dark Mode is a supplementary mode that may be used to show largely dark areas on the user interface. The design decreases the amount of light radiated by device displays while retaining the necessary colour contrast ratios for reading.
Dark Mode has the following advantages: it improves visual ergonomics by decreasing eye strain, allowing displays to adapt to current light conditions, and giving ease of usage at night or in dark surroundings.
It also saves battery power, allowing users to use their devices for extended periods of time without having to charge them. The Dark Mode theme, like Reddit, can be switched on and off using a clearly visible toggle symbol on the screen. It may also be found in the app’s settings or in the menu choices.
Here are all of the pros when it comes to using Dark Mode on Reddit:
- Blue light and flickering are reduced by Dark Mode, which eases the strain on the eyes in most cases.
- With light text being displayed on a dark background, readability is increased, further easing any strain on the eyes that can be caused by dark text on a bright background.
- Particularly if your device uses OLED or AMOLED display, Dark Mode saves energy consumption which is good for the planet, your energy bill and your device’s battery life.
Thus, not only does Dark Mode look better, but it also offers some real benefits over the standard light mode.
Disadvantages Of Using Dark Mode On Reddit
There are certain drawbacks, though, as there are with most things. Although there are several benefits to utilising the function, there are a few disadvantages to be aware of as well:
- In some conditions, Dark Mode can actually cause more eye strain. If you’re in brighter surroundings, the white text on dark background can appear more blurry and make the eyes focus a little harder.
- Some users report that longer posts aren’t as easy to read in Dark Mode as they are in light mode on Reddit. The longer the text goes on, the more the writing seems to blur together a little. Personally, I’ve yet to experience this.
If your preference is Dark Mode, you’ll likely have noticed that more and more applications are implementing the feature, particularly on mobile devices. As well as Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and even Android and iOS operating systems are offering it.
When you’re browsing the web, it’s possible to find a Dark Mode for websites that do not even offer their own Dark Mode feature, thanks to Chrome extensions and the like. For example, this article was written in Google Drive using a Dark Mode For Google Docs extension.
