Facebook is expanding its dark mode tests on Android

Facebook logo on a Pixel 4 XL
Facebook logo on a Pixel 4 XL (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Dark mode for the Facebook app on Android has been under development since at least August 2019.
  • While the company has been tinkering with the feature for a while, the tests seem to have picked up pace as of late.
  • WhatsApp Beta users also their taste of dark mode this week.

As Instagram and WhatsApp both flaunt their dark modes to users, Facebook Inc. has yet to bring the hotly-anticipated feature to its flagship app — and the one it shares a name with. While the company has been working on dark mode for the Facebook Android app for months, we've yet to see the fruits of that labor.

Dark mode on Facebook's Android app

Source: Android Police (Image credit: Source: Android Police)

If a flurry of tips sent to Android Police are any indication, that may change soon, as the publication reports receiving numerous tips within the last day from users encountering the dark redesign on their phones. Facebook, it seems, is finally willing to let more of us see what it's working on.

Thanks to the expanded testing field, we've also been treated to a bunch more screenshots of the app sporting dark mode, and it seems Facebook is not opting for a truly black dark mode on its app, much like with WhatsApp, which features dark blue accents instead.

Users also report that the feature is very much a work in progress, with dark mode turning on and off for seemingly no reason. Thus, while progress on the app may be coming along nicely, it's still a ways away from completion and, for now, the only way to access Facebook at night without temporarily blinding yourself may be the social network's redesigned website.

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Muhammad Jarir Kanji