Facebook adds dark mode to messaging app, but stays silent on WhatsApp dark mode

Facebook has been pretty quick off the mark with its support for dark modes – with one massive exception. Mark Zuckerberg’s behemothic social network pushed-out an update to Instagram to enable dark mode within a few weeks of the launch of iOS 13 and Android 10, which both add native support for the gloomier appearance.

Facebook Messenger wasn’t too far behind Instagram with the update. More recently, Facebook has also started to roll-out dark mode to the desktop version of the Messenger so that there’s consistency across the smartphone, tablet and desktop versions of the chat app. The upgraded version of Facebook Messenger only supports 64-bit processors. It also has a new icon.

For those who aren’t aware of dark modes, the latest software trend inverts every part of the user interface that would traditionally be bright white to a dark grey or pitch-black. This is designed to make using electronic devices a little easier on the eyes late at night.

Not only that, but it can also significantly boost your battery life when used on a gadget with an OLED display. In fact, the forthcoming update to WhatsApp is said to dramatically boost battery life on certain smartphone models, potentially keeping your handset alive for an extra hour or two – useful if you’re out-and-about without access to a charger.

Following the system-wide support for dark mode in iOS 13 and iPadOS, which powers Apple iPhone and iPad models, as well as Android 10, which is slowly rolling out to millions of Android-powered handsets and tablets worldwide, a number of hugely-successful apps have adopted the darker appearance.

Facebook has systemically gone through its portfolio of immensely-popular apps, including Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The exception is WhatsApp.

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WhatsApp is believed to be in the final stages of testing for the new interface, which will purportedly ship in two possible shades of black. The first rumours of a dark mode surfaced some 18-months ago, with a steady stream of screenshots and references unearthed in beta builds ever since.

But despite all the activity behind-the-scenes, most of it spotted by the eagle-eyed team at @WABetaInfo, Facebook-owned WhatsApp has yet to join the other social platforms in Facebook’s arsenal and roll-out its dark mode.

WhatApp hasn’t been resting on its laurels, mind. The messaging app, which is now used by some 1.6 billion users worldwide each month, has already introduced a new call waiting feature and the ability to control who can add you into WhatsApp groups within the last few weeks alone. 

source: express.co.uk