Alex Ruben
How To Enable Dark Mode Across All Android Apps
Figured out that night-time app use can be tough on the eyes? Or maybe you’re trying to squeeze some extra battery life from that OLED screen. Whatever your reason, forcing dark mode across all apps—even those that don’t natively support it—is surprisingly doable. It’s kind of weird, but enabling this feature hides the bright white backgrounds, making everything easier on the eyes and less battery-hungry. The catch? Not every app will look perfect, and sometimes you gotta deal with minor glitches. But hey, this approach works on most setups, especially if you’re on stock Android or close to it. After messing with these steps, you should get a more consistent dark theme, which is a win for nighttime browsing and saving juice.
How to Force Dark Mode on All Apps on Android
Access the Settings App
- First, grab your Android device and open the Settings app. You know, the gear icon. It’s usually on the home screen or inside the app drawer.
- On some Android skins, like One UI or MIUI, paths might differ slightly, but the core idea’s the same.
Enable Dark Mode in Display Settings
- Scroll down and tap on Display. Find the toggle for Dark Mode and turn it on. This step gets the supported apps into dark mode, but doesn’t do much for the apps that ignore it.
- It’s a good start, but for the rest of the apps that don’t listen to this, you need the next steps.
Unlock Developer Options
- Now, here’s the sneaky part. Go back to Settings, then head to About Phone. On some devices, it might be called About Device or similar.
- Tap on Software Information or the equivalent, then find Build Number.
- Tap seven times on Build Number. You might be asked for your PIN or pattern—just do it. After the seventh tap, you should get a notification saying that developer options are now unlocked.
- Sometimes, on certain devices, this takes a few extra seconds or might require a reboot, so don’t be surprised if nothing pops up immediately.
Access Developer Options
- Back out to the main Settings menu. Scroll down, and you should see Developer Options near the bottom or in a dedicated section. Tap into it.
- If you don’t see it right away, try searching in the Settings search bar with “Developer options”.
Enable Force Dark Mode
- Inside Developer Options, scroll until you find Force Dark Mode. On some UI skins, it might be under a section named Drawing or similar.
- Toggle it on. Boom, this should tell your system to “force” dark mode onto all apps, even those that ignore dark themes.
- Not sure why it works, but on some devices, the toggle might be flaky at first. A quick restart afterward can help solidify the change.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
- Some apps will have visual bugs or weird colors—be prepared for that. It’s a compromise, but for many, it’s worth it.
- If apps look janky or crash, try toggling Force Dark Mode off just for that app: go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > select app > Open by default or Display options (if available).
- Because of course, Android has to make it harder than necessary. Sometimes a device restart or clearing cache helps apply changes better.
Wrap-up
Enabling Force Dark Mode system-wide isn’t perfect, but it’s a decent workaround when native support isn’t available. Not all apps will be flawless, and some visual glitches might pop up, but overall, this trick makes nighttime phone use way more comfortable. Just be aware that this isn’t a magic bullet—certain apps might need manual tweaking or toggling on/off. Still, it’s a simple tweak that offers a noticeable change in how your device looks and feels after dark.
Summary
- Access Settings > About Phone, tap Build Number 7 times to unlock Developer Options.
- Go to Developer Options, toggle Force Dark Mode.
- Restart your device if needed—sometimes it’s that simple.
- Expect some apps to have visual glitches, but most should benefit.
Fingers crossed this helps
Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours of eye strain or helps squeeze out some additional battery life. Just something that worked on multiple machines, so give it a shot!