How to activate dark mode on instagram
How to use Instagram dark mode with iOS and Android
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
View those Stories, Reels and posts in the dark
(Image: © Shutterstock)
Instagram dark mode is one of those features that's well worth learning how to use. Not only does that darker palette offer more immersive viewing of images and videos, but it also comes with a range of other perks that will make your life better and easier.
Regardless of whether you have the best iPhone or one of the best Android phones, it's super simple to use Instagram's dark mode. And trust us, making the switch is well worth it. As well as making images and videos pop like never before, dark mode considerably reduces the bright light that so many of us are exposed to throughout the day, which means you'll experience far less eye strain, especially at night.
Switching to Instagram's dark mode isn't purely worth it for the aesthetics. Dark mode tends to use up a lot less battery than regular mode, especially if you have a smartphone with an AMOLED screen like the Google Pixel 7 or one of Apple’s new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models. This type of panel turns pixels completely off when they’re displaying black, lowering its power consumption.
To help you do this, we've compiled a handy set of instructions to guide you through the process of setting up Instagram dark mode on your iOS and Android devices. It's not hard to do either, so the whole process will be quick, simple, and totally painless. And if you're wondering how to repeat the process with Google Chrome or WhatsApp, check out our guides on how to get Google Chrome dark mode on iOS, Android and Windows and how to use WhatsApp dark mode on iOS and Android.
Switch on Instagram's dark mode in iOS 16
Turning on Instagram dark mode for iPhones is a simple affair. If you have an iPhone running iOS 16 or you've recently upgraded to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, these steps will allow you to change its system settings and use Instagram in dark mode.
- Open the Settings app
- Select 'Display and Brightness'
- Tap 'Dark' to change the theme
- Launch Instagram
Switch on Instagram's dark mode in Android
Enabling Instagram's dark mode for Android is just as simple. To enable it for phones running Android 13 and below, follow these five steps:
- Launch Instagram
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Select the top right hamburger menu.
- Tap Settings, then select Theme.
- Choose Dark.
How else can I save battery life in Instagram?
Switching to Instagram dark mode may be an energy-saver, but if you’re on it all day long, you’ll have to find other ways to extend your battery life. Luckily, there are other steps you can take to conserve a little more extra juice. If Instagram is draining your phone's battery, you’ll want to know them.
To keep you scrolling, Instagram pre-loads images and videos, but you can limit this behavior. Tap the menu icon at the top right of the app, then tap the settings icon at the bottom. Tap 'Account', followed by 'Mobile data use' and toggle 'Data saver' on.
This will prevent videos loading in advance, so they'll only be downloaded when you choose to play them. It's unlikely to have a huge effect, but if you regularly find your battery down to its last 10% with no charger in sight, every little bit helps.
Today's best Smartphone deals
Unlocked
Get $50 off this p...
Samsung Galaxy S22
No contract
Unlimited mins
Unlimitedtexts
10GBdata
Calls:
Calls to MX & CA included
Texts:
Messaging to MX & CA included
Data:
(slowed to 128kbps speeds)
Free
upfront
$49.
12
/mth
View Deal
at Mint Mobile
See all prices
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
36 months
Unlimited mins
Unlimitedtexts
Unlimiteddata
$999.99
upfront
$90
/mth
View Deal
at Verizon Wireless
See all prices
Get $50 off this p...
Google Pixel 7
No contract
Unlimited mins
Unlimitedtexts
4GBdata
Calls:
Calls to MX & CA included
Texts:
Messaging to MX & CA included
Data:
(slowed to 128kbps speeds)
Free
upfront
$39.
96
/mth
View Deal
at Mint Mobile
See all prices
New customers can ...
Apple iPhone 14
No contract
Unlimited mins
Unlimitedtexts
4GBdata
Calls:
Calls to MX & CA included
Texts:
Messaging to MX & CA included
Data:
(slowed to 128kbps speeds)
Free
upfront
$53.71
/mth
View Deal
at Mint Mobile
See all prices
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related.
In his spare time he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', alongside podcasting and usually found playing games old and new on his PC and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
How to turn on Instagram's dark mode
By Maggie Tillman
Updated
Instagram has a dark mode, like many other apps these days.
Here's how to get it.
The Instagram mobile app has a dark mode, just like many other apps these days.
Dark modes have become very popular in recent years, thanks to their ability to blacken interfaces, thereby reducing any strain on your eyes and simultaneously saving your device's battery life. As a result, companies like Google and Apple offer system-wide dark modes across their operating systems, and many app developers have updated their apps with support for dark modes over the years.
- How to turn on Gmail's dark mode
In this case, we are looking at Instagram's dark mode option and how to get it.
iPhone users
If you already use iOS 13 or later and have dark mode turned on at the system level, the Instagram app will auto-adjust to dark mode.
- Make sure you're running iOS 13 or later on your iPhone
- Open Settings on your device, then go to Display and Brightness, and tap Dark.
- Install the Instagram app (or update it to the latest version) on your device and open it.
- Instagram will, by default, automatically respond to your device's system setting.
There's nothing else you need to do!
Android users
The process is very similar for Android 12 users as the app also reacts to the device's theme.
- Open your phone's settings menu, navigate to Display and open it.
- Activate the Dark theme toggle.
- Install the Instagram app (or update it to the latest version) on your device and open it.
- Instagram will, by default, automatically respond to your device's system setting.
Alternatively, you can activate dark mode from within the Instagram Android app
- Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the bottom right.
- Select the menu icon at the top right.
- Tap Settings and then Theme
- From here you can select Light, Dark or System Default themes.
When will Instagram's dark mode be available?
Dark mode support rolled out to iOS users in August 2019, so make sure you're running the latest version of the app and you should have the feature, plus other extra features that Instagram has rolled out since.
Though it took a little longer, dark mode support is also now available on Android devices.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Related Topics
- Apps
About The Author
How to enable dark theme on Instagram on iPhone / Android / PC
June 7 Articles
Contents:
A dark theme has appeared on Instagram! It is available to owners of smartphones on IOS 13 and Android. In addition to aesthetics, the black interface will help save your phone's battery and save your eyes.
MUSTHAVE services for your Instagram!
TapLike - Instagram promotion. Buying followers, likes, story views, comments. Quality Audience! 100% service safety guarantee!
Instahero - instant cleaning of Instagram account from bots! Do a profile analysis for free!
Instagram cleaning from spam, bots, shops, dead accounts. Connect the SpamGuard service and improve subscriber engagement. Try it for free!
How to turn on the black theme
On iPhone (IOS)
There is no separate button in the application itself that is responsible for turning the dark theme on and off. To enable the black screen on Instagram, you will have to set up the iOS 13 main theme.
There are three ways to enable the dark theme.
Method number 1
Open "Settings", find the item "Display and brightness" and switch the theme to "Dark".
Method number 2
Open the Control Center, press and hold the slider until the theme switch window appears.
Method number 3
Add a dedicated button to the Control Center. To do this, open "Settings", select the "Control Center" section and add a mode switch to the existing elements.
After enabling dark mode, all apps will automatically switch.
iOS 11 includes a "Smart Invert" feature that gives you the ability to turn on the dark screen individually for specific apps. However, it is in the Instagram application that "Smart Inversion" does not work well. Primary colors change: photos become less saturated in color, videos become gray.
On Android
Dark theme can also be activated on Android devices. The interface will be completely black with white accents. The function seems to be in beta, since the new function appeared relatively recently, not all the nuances have been worked out.
For example, the battery status bar may also become dark, making it difficult to see how much battery is left on the phone.
To enable on Android:
- Go to "Settings";
- Go to "System";
- Click "About phone";
- Scroll to the very bottom and click on the line with the build number;
- Wait until you are notified that you have become a developer;
- In the developer options, find "Night mode" and set the mode to "Always on".
After enabling this mode, the theme will change in all applications.
Is it possible on a computer?
Of course! It is only active on Windows 10. Older versions do not support the dark theme.
Of course, you will need the official Instagram application for Windows. You can download it from this link to the official app store.
- Open Settings. To do this, click on the gear button in the start menu;
- Next, go to the personalization settings, where you select the "Colors" subsection;
- Specify that you want to use "dark mode".
The appearance of Windows and applications will not change, only the background color and brightness will change.
Unobvious advantages
Black is something new, cool and aesthetic. But there is also a practical aspect.
- Energy consumption can be reduced by 60% according to PhoneBuff statistics.
- Reading at night is better with a darkened background. So your eyes are less tired + you do not shine your screen like a flashlight into the face of a person lying next to you.
Instruction video:
Post tags: Instagram
how to turn it on - 4 ways
InstagramSocial networks
January 13, 2021
1 515
Users who spend a lot of time on Instagram, especially at night, often wonder how to turn on the dark theme in the social network on the iPhone.
If you go to the settings of the Instagram app on your iPhone, you won't be able to find a dark theme there. However, there are several ways to activate it at once, which we will consider in this instruction.
Table of Contents
Instagram Dark Theme on iPhone
Instagram Dark Theme on iPhone cannot be activated in the app settings. This is due to the fact that it is tied to the settings of the iPhone itself. That is, when the dark theme is enabled on the device, the dark theme is also displayed in the Instagram app.
When you activate the dark theme, Instagram does not change in terms of functionality - it does not add any new features. The only change is that the interface is made in dark colors - the background becomes black and the text color is white. The color of photos and videos in the feed does not change.
Please note
Optometrists recommend using a dark theme at night to reduce eye strain in the dark.
How to enable dark theme on Instagram
As noted above, the dark theme on Instagram on iPhone is tied to the settings of the device itself.
Accordingly, in order to enable the dark theme in the application, you need to configure the phone accordingly. There are 2 ways to operate the dark theme on iPhone.
Method 1. Automatically turn on the dark theme, depending on the time of day.
To set it up, launch the Settings app on your iPhone and go to the Display & Brightness section.
Next, activate the "Automatic" switch.
Optionally, you can adjust the settings for automatically enabling Dark Mode. If you do not specify a specific schedule, it will turn on after sunset, and after dawn, the normal light mode will be activated.
Method 2: Install the dark theme permanently.
To do this, go to "Settings" on the iPhone and go to the "Display and brightness" section.
Next, select the “Dark” design option.
The dark theme will immediately turn on on the iPhone, and the dark theme will also be activated on Instagram.
How to turn on the dark theme on Instagram at the right time
The methods that we have indicated above are bad in that they require you to constantly go to the iPhone settings and activate the dark theme. If you need to return to the normal theme on the device after that, you will again have to go to the settings. But there are two ways that make it possible to enable a dark theme in the Instagram application itself.
Method 1. Through the brightness settings.
While in the Instagram app, swipe up on your iPhone to open the shortcut menu.
Next, hold your finger on the brightness control.
This will open a quick menu where you can enable dark mode. Click on the appropriate button.
Immediately after that, the dark theme is activated in the Instagram application.
Please note
The dark theme is activated on the entire device, but after exiting the Instagram application, it can be quickly turned off in the same way.
