In recent times, the dark mode has turned out to be high in demand feature on smartphones. Many OEMs and application developers have started to implement the mode in their devices and software respectively. Dark mode is usually a visual setting that can be turned on and off at will and what it does is make the display darker in most places. The colour generally used is Black, like done in Reddit, Greyscale like in Google’s system application or a shade of Blue like the Twitter app and website. But is using a darker theme really advantageous for your well being or is it just a gimmick?
Advantages Of Dark Mode
If we talk about the advantages of the dark mode on your health or on the devices, there are quite a few that appear in mind. Here are some of them. A word of caution though, as the feature is most effective on devices with an OLED screen, as they turn the black areas of the screen completely off. So some advantages can only be visible on devices with an OLED display.
Reducing Eye Strain
This one is a little obvious, as looking at bright light can cause a strain on eyes. Using a darker theme can help solve the problem. Countless studies have shown that Blue light can be harmful to the eyes. As it travels all the way to the retina, the light-sensitive portion of the eye, the risk of degeneration of the retina is very much possible. Many night or dark modes thus promise a Blue light filter for a comfortable viewing experience.
Sleeping Better
The bright light of electronic devices can confound sleep inducing neuron cells and activate the ones that help a person stay awake. This plays with one’s sleep cycle and while the effects might not be visible right in the beginning, they build up over time. Using a darker theme at night or around a darker environment can actually help a person sleep better as the possibility of the damaging sleep cycle reduces to a great extent.
Reducing Risk Of Migraines, Photophobia
Photophobia is a medical condition that makes the eyes of a person quite sensitive to light, so using a bright device can trigger the condition. Migraines also are increased if staring at a bright light for too long. Using a darker theme or mode reduces the risk of both cases from happening often. It also allows people with the conditions to use their electronic devices for a longer time than before.
Preventing Serious Medical Issues
Increased risks of sleep deprivation can lead to medical cases like depression, obesity and serious cardiovascular issues. To prevent that from happening, a good night’s sleep can be very helpful. A dark mode can go a long way in providing that.
Increased Battery Life
This point is mostly applicable to devices with OLED displays but is still a valid case of using a dark mode. Turning the black pixels completely off is a very good thing for electronics with an OLED display as the light is only required in certain places, which in turn leads to longer battery life.
The Future of Dark Mode
A few months ago, Google released a report which claimed serious benefits of dark mode on smartphones with OLED displays. It also admitted its fault in pushing out the material design theme so aggressively. The theme used brighter colours natively and forced developers to do the same. This realization would insinuate that the company may be planning on implementing a dark mode on Android from the ground up.
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Samsung, Huawei and OnePlus have also started to include a dark mode tailored for OLED displays. This is available natively and offers a black theme in system apps and settings. Apps like WhatsApp, which had so far stayed away from the feature, have been planning to add support for it finally. These steps indicate a change which will make dark mode added in most places at least as an option. Besides user preferences, there are no necessary downsides to the feature. Therefore, if the trend hints one thing it is that dark mode is here to stay and will only increase in devices with time.
