When smartphones began to become popular, the predominant design line in the world of applications was the color white. This trend was very clear from the launch of iOS 7 in 2013, which went hand in hand with Android and other operating systems that wanted to sell themselves with a clear, minimalist and easy-to-use interface. Almost 10 years have passed since that transition, and now, many of us use black interfaces. Instagram looks much worse in dark color – we are not going to kid ourselves – but there are many compelling reasons that can make us opt for the dark side. In this post we will explain why this mode exists, how it could have been activated on your mobile without prior notice and how you can put the Instagram interface with the tone you prefer , as well as recover the white in case you have lost it. .
Why do we use dark mode?
More and more apps support what we now know as ‘ Dark Mode ‘. As we said, a few years ago, aesthetics prevailed in our smartphones. We used them for a long time, but the mobile had not yet become such an important tool in our lives.
We use our smartphones for leisure, to communicate even for work. And that is the reason why we increasingly want more subdued interfaces . Light colors like white end up bothering the eye after long periods of use, especially in dimly lit environments. Therefore, the dark mode allows us to use the mobile for more hours, delaying eye fatigue.
And not only that. The smartphone market has gone hand in hand with the development of display technologies . Many mobile phones such as those from Samsung or OnePlus use AMOLED screens, which completely turn off the panel’s pixel when black is to be represented. The same goes for smartphones that have a screen with OLED technology such as the iPhone 13 Pro. In these cases, a pixel off directly means energy savings. Therefore, we are going to significantly extend the battery of our mobile if we use black interfaces and we have a terminal that makes use of one of these types of screen.
Why has dark mode been activated on my Instagram?
Instagram has long opposed the idea of implementing a dark mode in its app. It was due to aesthetic issues. However, those of Zuckerberg ended up succumbing to the requests of their users and this feature came to the app in 2019.
When the function arrived at the terminals, the complaints also arrived. Many users complained that the app turned black without warning. Social networks were filled with people who did not remember having activated any type of option to activate the ‘Dark Mode’ of Instagram, and wanted to return to the previous state. In fact, many people expressed their dissatisfaction with this new interface, as it is less attractive than the white version.
Why did that happen? Well, the users who complained were right. They had not touched anything, but the activation of Instagram’s dark mode is done based on the theme that comes by default in the system . In fact, if you have never modified anything, your application will look the same as the settings or the notification bar of your mobile. Fortunately, this can now be changed , as we will tell you a little later.
Instagram’s adaptive dark mode
By default, the activation of the dark mode or light mode of Instagram is done based on the settings of our phone . In both Android and iPhone terminals, we can decide whether to use a light or a dark interface. Based on that parameter, Instagram will work with a white background or a black background.
The idea of this is simple: if you use all your mobile with a dark aesthetic, it doesn’t make sense for Instagram to work with the opposite style. At first, this rule had to be strictly adhered to, and it was not possible to change it unless we resorted to various tricks. Come on, if you used Android in clear mode, Instagram would come out in clear mode. And the same thing happened with iOS terminals. Recently, this limitation was changed so that you can use the interface as you please.
How to turn Instagram Dark Mode on or off
Once again, user complaints were the key for Instagram to let us put the app in the style that we like the most. You may use the mobile in light mode, but you prefer to see Instagram with a dark background. Or, on the contrary, that your entire iPhone or Android is seen with a black background, but that you prefer the clear aesthetics of the Instagram app, which looks much better.
To activate or deactivate the dark or light mode at your whim, Instagram has enabled a theme selector. To change the settings, do the following:
- Open the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android phone.
- Tap on the circle in which your profile picture appears in the lower right corner of the app.
- Now, tap once in the upper right corner, on the icon of the three parallel horizontal lines.
- A navigation bar will appear. We will touch on the first option, which is ‘ Configuration ‘.
- In the new list that appears, scroll to the bottom and enter the ‘ Themes ‘ option.
- Here inside you will be able to decide if the Instagram app should be seen in dark or light color. By default, the option that is checked is ‘ System Default ‘. This option means that Instagram will be seen the same way you see your Android or iOS system. Leaving this option checked, the app will be seen with the same style that is defined in Settings within your operating system.
- If you want to use Instagram in light mode, set the ‘ Light ‘ option. Check the opposite option if you prefer dark mode. If you have some kind of automation that changes the theme of your mobile depending on the time or brightness, you can leave the default option if you wish.
As you may have seen, it is no longer necessary to have to change the theme of our mobile so that Instagram looks just the way we like it. Therefore, you can now use your mobile with a dark aesthetic and take Instagram with the light look without anyone stopping you and without having to resort to the tricks that we had to do before.
