How to Activate Dark Mode on Your iPhone and iPad

It’s true that Apple took some time to implement Dark Mode into iOS and iPadOS. However, now that we finally get to use it, we have to say it looks amazing. No matter whether you’re looking for a way to use your devices more comfortably at night or simply want a fresh coat of paint, we’re sure you’ll want to learn how to activate Dark Mode on your iPhone and iPad. 

At the moment, there are three ways to turn on Dark Mode, giving you plenty of flexibility in how to enable and use Dark Mode.

1. Enable Dark Mode via the Settings App

It doesn’t come as a surprise to know that you can activate Dark Mode through the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Using your iPhone or iPad, navigate to the Settings app. Scroll down a bit and tap on “Display & Brightness.”

2. At the very top of that screen, you can see two configurations for “Light” and “Dark.” As you can already guess, this is how you can enable Dark Mode on demand. However, this option doesn’t instruct your iPhone or iPad to switch to Dark Mode automatically.

3. Take a look just below the two available configurations, and you’ll see a toggle for “Automatic.” Tap on that toggle, and an additional option will appear below. By default, your iOS or iPadOS device will switch to Dark Mode at 10:00 PM (and then revert to Light Mode at 7:00 AM). However, you can tap on “Custom Schedule” and configure when these two configurations should activate.

2. Turn on Dark Mode via Control Center

We’ll show you another method to activate Dark Mode, which takes only a second of your time. This method relies on your iPhone’s or iPad’s Control Center.

1. Swipe from the top-right corner of your iPhone’s or iPad’s screen. As you swipe your finger down, you will see a grid of differently-sized icons. This is what’s called “Control Center.” If you have an older device with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom to reach the Control Center.

2. You should see a slider that controls the brightness of your device’s screen. Instead of dragging it up or down, hold your finder on this slider. Several new options will appear at the bottom of the screen. 

3. Take a look at the bottom-left corner, where you’ll see an icon that reads “Dark Mode.” As you can already guess, you can tap on it to activate Dark Mode on demand. And if you tap on it once again, you’ll activate Light mode. That’s it!

4. Lastly, we have a tip for power users. You can activate Dark Mode even faster by adding a new icon to your device’s Control Center. To do this, navigate to “Settings -> Control Center.” Then, scroll down and click on the plus icon next to “Dark Mode.” The icon will now appear in your Control Center, providing an even faster way to turn on Dark Mode.

3. Activate Dark Mode via Siri

And finally, we’d like to share another way to activate Dark Mode on demand. Using Siri is perhaps the fastest way to change the appearance of your iPhone’s or iPad’s software.

All you have to do is say “Hey Siri, turn on Dark Mode,” or “Hey Siri, turn on Dark Appearance.” In some cases, even saying “Hey Siri, Dark Mode” gets the job done. And once you’re ready to get rid of the dark colors on your screen, say “Hey Siri, turn on Light Mode” or “Hey Siri, turn off Dark Mode.” 

Wrapping Up

Without any doubt, you’re going to love using Dark Mode on your iPhone or iPad. Once you adjust to the new appearance, we’re sure you’ll want to explore this user interface style even further. With that said, here’s how to enable Dark Mode on YouTube, Facebook, and on your Mac as well.