As Google continues to prepare for the system-wide dark mode of Android Q, it’s continuing to give its first-party apps a dark theme option. We’ve seen apps like Chrome, Drive, Auto, Keep, and Photos go over to the dark side and now joining them are Files, Search, Discover, and even settings. However, it’s not yet a perfect dark theme and looks to still be a work in progress. But at least you’ll be able to give feedback and give Google time to get its dark act in order.
If you’ve been living under a digital rock, you might wonder why the dark mode is so important for a lot of users and is a much requested feature for a lot of apps. For one, OLED displays save power when put in dark mode since they shut off individual pixels when the color black is displayed. It also helps lessen eye strain when you’re using your phone in low light conditions. For some, it even helps them digitally slow down and get to sleep earlier.
Files by Google is the latest to join those experiementing with dark mode but it’s still in beta. There are some areas that need improvement like the hamburger menu icon isn’t very visible because the color was not optimized for dark background or the file clearing animation isn’t that dark yet. But if you want to try it out, the beta can be downloaded as an APK Mirror from Android Police or through the Google Play Store.
Meanwhile, over at XDA Develoeprs, they discussed dark themes coming to Google Search, Google Discover, and Google settings. They all have dark gray background instead of OLED black while colors are muted as well. But as with Files and previous apps, there are still some elements that aren’t themed yet, particularly with the Google app. The updates tab and the Assistant are all still white.
The updates are getting a staged rollout so if you’re not seeing it yet, don’t worry. It will eventually get to you, probably before Android Q starts rolling out a stable version.
