WhatsApp in dark mode on iPhone

Dominik Bärlocher

4.3.2020

Translation: machine translated

WhatsApp is now available in dark mode on the iPhone. All the other platforms already had it, so we were just waiting for it.

WhatsApp, Switzerland's most widely used messenger, has announced the arrival of dark mode on Apple's platform.

But only on iOS 13.

Updating your iPhone

Your iPhone needs to work on iOS 13. Are you one of those people who always put off updating the system? Then you're out of luck! No way to bypass the upgrade. If iOS 13 is already installed on your phone, this part doesn't apply to you.

1. Connect your iPhone. It's certainly not an absolute necessity, but it will save you the aggravation of a "low battery" message.
2. Go to Settings
3. Click on General
4. Software update
5. Install what's needed.

If you've put off upgrading for a while, you may need to do it twice.

Updating WhatsApp

iOS automatically updates apps fairly reliably. You can speed up the process by forcing a manual update. In the case of WhatsApp, this is certainly a good thing.

1. Connect your iPhone. It's certainly not an absolute necessity, but it will save you the aggravation of a "low battery" message.
2. Go to the App Store
3. Today section
4. Click on your photo in the top right-hand corner
5. At the bottom of the screen, you'll find all the apps that haven't been updated
6. Tap Update All

Activating dark mode

WhatsApp dark mode is tied to your iPhone settings. In other words, if your iPhone is running in dark mode, so is your WhatsApp. As far as I know, there is no manual setting option, either in the settings of the app in question or in the phone's system settings.

That's why I'm offering a guide to setting up dark mode.

1. Go to Settings
2. Brightness and display
3. Dark

And that's it. I love the simplicity of the iPhone. I really do. A three-click dark mode isn't bad at all. But why it took so long to get dark mode in WhatsApp, that's another story!

Dominik Bärlocher

Senior Editor

dominik.baerlocher@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.