How To
Twitter dark modes get even darker

- April 1, 2019
- Updated: July 2, 2025 at 5:09 AM

These are dark times indeed. There is a lot going on in the world to warrant such an ominous moniker, but we’re not going to get into them now. These are dark times because dark modes are on the march and it looks like no app is safe from their dark touch. We’ve seen dark modes arrive on Facebook Messenger, and we know that one is coming to WhatsApp. They’re everywhere, and the world is a little darker place for it.

Things aren’t dark enough for Twitter users, though. Again, we’re not talking about the type of darkness you need to download a web extension to block out, but almost. In response to popular demand, and maybe to get one over on all the other apps that have been adding dark modes lately, Twitter is rolling out an even darker mode.
Twitter rolls out new dark mode features and themes on iOS
According to Twitter, iOS users now have access to a “Dim” dark mode and a “Lights Out” theme. The Dim dark mode uses the dark blue and grey color scale that anybody who has ever used Twitter’s dark mode will already know. The new Lights Out dark mode makes everything jet black. Funnily enough, until now Twitter had always referred to its dark mode as “Night mode” but this has now officially changed, for iPhone users at least.
It was dark. You asked for darker! Swipe right to check out our new dark mode. Rolling out today. pic.twitter.com/6MEACKRK9K
— Twitter (@Twitter) March 28, 2019
How to activate Twitter’s new dark modes on iOS
If you’re an iPhone user and you want to activate the new dark modes, all you need to do is follow these simple instructions. To activate dark mode on Twitter for iOS you need to:
- Open the sidebar menu and tap Settings and privacy.
- Then hit Display and Sound at the top of the General Settings menu.
- Switch on Dark mode by hitting the toggle button found beneath Media previews.
- Once you hit the toggle button the two new options will open beneath it. Select Dim if you want Twitter’s traditional dark blue dark mode or Lights out if you want the new jet-black dark mode.

Another cool new feature, which Twitter has added is the automatic dark mode. If you activate this feature, Twitter will automatically switch to dark mode at certain hours, like when you’re in bed.
This feature should now be live to all Twitter users who have the app on their iPhone. If you can’t see it on your version of the app you should try closing Twitter completely and then reopening it, as that has worked for a number of users according to a report by 9to5Mac.
Unfortunately, there is still no word about when this feature might land on Twitter for Android. As soon as we hear more on this, we’ll let you know.
Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.
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