There is one app that has not yet joined the dark side, even though the dark mode fever has passed. Yes, I’m referring to WhatsApp’s agonisingly drawn-out beta testing period. That will soon change, though, as WhatsApp’s official dark theme is already out and operating smoothly. We are aware of this because a fellow Redditor recently found the hidden flag. The official rollout is about to happen, which is fantastic because the official dark mode has made it to the stable release and not some beta or modified build. But it hasn’t arrived yet. I will demonstrate how to activate the dark mode on WhatsApp right away if you are someone who is unable to wait any longer for the official release.
Remember that in order to make the necessary changes, you will need root privilege.
Native Dark Mode on WhatsApp
You need root access, as I said above, to change several flags in the app package. If you are unfamiliar with rooting, you can root your device using our tutorial. Additionally, the OnePlus 7T running the most recent stable builds of WhatsApp (2.19.352 and 2.19.358) performed properly during our tests. Let’s start with the steps, then.
1. Launch a file manager on your Android device that permits access to the root partition. One of the greatest file managers for Android is Solid Explorer (free with in-app purchases), which is what I would advise you to use.
2. Then, open the root partition and go to the path listed below. Open the com.whatsapp preferences.xml file there.
/data/data/com.whatsapp/shared_prefs
3. Include the line below in the XML file now. For instance, I added the line inside the “map” tag at the end of the XML file. Click the Save button after that.
<boolean name="dark_mode" value="true" />
4. After making the necessary adjustments, force WhatsApp to close and then reopen. The Theme option may now be found by opening WhatsApp Settings. Tap it, then choose the Dark option. There you have it, voilà! WhatsApp’s official dark mode operates without a hitch.
5. Here are a few screenshots of WhatsApp in the night mode.
5. If WhatsApp keeps switching back to bright mode after each app restart, permanently switch your Android device’s theme to dark mode. In addition, WhatsApp should be enabled if your device has a background app locking feature. Even after all the apps are closed, it will continue to run in the background.
Finally! Rejoice the Official Dark Mode on WhatsApp
That concludes our succinct tutorial on how to make WhatsApp’s default dark theme available. In contrast to what we observed with Android 10 sforce dark mode, the colours in messages, stickers, and emojis in the chat window did not appear to be inverted in our testing of the official dark mode. So, if your device has already been rooted, go ahead and follow the instructions to start using dark mode on WhatsApp right away. Users who are still debating should wait until WhatsApp’s formal release. That’s all we have to say, though. Please share your experience in the comments section if you were successful in turning on dark mode on your device.
