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Jayson A

macrumors 68030
Sep 16, 2014
2,671
1,935
If a jailbreak app can do it, apple certainly can do it.

I'm not so sure about that. Have you seen apples software lately? They don't have it together anymore. It makes me want to abandon my favorite electronics company for something from HTC or Motorola.
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,380
3,415
Like I said in the first post, tvOS and OS X have a dark mode but all they do is darken the menu, menu bar and dock; not any apps are darkened whatsoever.

This is not true for tvOS anymore, it has full support for it. Developers can adopt a dark style. iOS does not even have a dark mode yet. When people here talk about a dark mode in relation to iOS, they do not refer to that half-arsed implementation in OS X, but something similar to what tvOS is doing, something that looks like the Watch app on iOS. Chances are awfully good that Apple will consider a full dark mode if they are planning to adopt OLED. That inevitably means that Apple must swap out as much white as possible to get the most out of this, so this would have to extend to all UIKit components, and I mean all of them.

All apps are designed the way the developers want it, turning all the white space into black would look horrendous with some colors, and recoloring elements/buttons would just confuse people. They would also need to have dark mode in mind when designing their app.

If Apple does introduce a dark mode to iOS, then they will very likely offer APIs for this so that developers can adapt their app. It really is not that difficult. In fact, just yesterday, after I wrote that post, I learned that Apple actually added these APIs for tvOS. You can change the visual appearance of buttons, text and pretty much all other components based on the chosen style. Developers have full control. As an example, I defined both the background colour of the canvas and the tint color for both the bright and dark style. It can be done in parallel and it will adapt organically at runtime, based on whether the dark mode is enabled or not.

Screen Shot 8.png Screen Shot 9.png
Screen Shot 14.png Screen Shot 13.png

I also like to say, that I find "dark mode" worthless. If you leave an app that has dark mode, you will still be shunned with your bright wallpaper in the app switcher or your home screen. Not only that, but the icons too, let alone apps that don't have dark mode, or have images displayed on screen (i.e. Instagram, Facebook pics, photos app, Imgur pics, and most of them are edge to edge pics, so they take up most of your screen real estate.)

The home screen adapts to your wallpaper already. I am using a very dark one myself and find it pleasant. It is only when I switch into the apps that the white UI becomes a problem. I would be fine with it, if Apple did not do anything special for the home screen, as long as apps can show an alternative design. A dark mode does not need to be monochrome and dark only, it just needs to reduce excessive use of white colour in backgrounds and bars.
 
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hojx

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2014
275
144
Singapore
I welcome a dark mode any time (though I personally prefer it bright), but I hope there would be less noise in the forum about the lack of it this particular release.

I would think that even if there were to be a dark mode, it would only be released alongside an OLED iPhone and not before. Apple might only have it as part of iOS 11.2 or something like that, and of course during the demo they will only show apps from a few special developers that were allowed access to the API beforehand.
 
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jclardy

macrumors 601
Oct 6, 2008
4,233
4,577
They would build dark mode exactly as they have for tvOS - dark mode on the TV is not just the main menu, it is the main menu and apps that have been updated to support it. The point of the API is that you can assign two sets of colors, every app before now on tvOS won't support it until the developer updates the app and adds compatibility.

That said, if dark mode was going to be a thing on iOS they would have stated so already, because they are announcing things at a developer conference - meaning these are the people you are telling to implement dark mode in there apps.
 

Joseph C

macrumors 65816
Feb 5, 2009
1,452
2,751
iOS 10's new elements seem prime for Dark Mode. The new Notifications and Control center would benefit from being darker at night time as they are very bright. I am completely here for it being introduced as a toggle / on a schedule like Night Shift. The new Music app as well is SO bright and would look good with a darker option in the evenings/generally.

I am praying and hoping the mode is enabled before iOS 10 is released to the public, the signs of code give me hope.

An API could then let devs tap into this, many apps already have dark options like Reeder and Tweetbot and they could simply tie their existing themes in to this.

On macOS I think they could easily have the Dark Mode expand to darken the window chrome a bit, and in Sierra change Notification Center to a darker style.
 

Jason Cox

macrumors member
Aug 23, 2012
31
12
Dallas, TX
Each apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix has their own design for apps, they're not going to redesign a whole new interface for a dark mode. No API can simply just blacken everything.
Developer here. Dark Mode would be very easy to implement. All Apple needs to do is add a few extra color selection choices on Storyboards so we can specify colors for normal mode and colors for Dark Mode. If a developer don't specify a color, the system default Dark Mode colors are used.
 

GreyOS

macrumors 68040
Apr 12, 2012
3,358
1,694
To say that dark mode isn't possible just because 3rd party apps exist with their own design is taking it too far. Yes, it does mean there can't be an immediate, universal, all encompassing dark mode. But there are still many key system features and many stock apps, regularly used by many iOS users, where a dark mode would have some immediate impact. And it would still be open for 3rd party apps to join in slowly.

Notifications, widgets, notification centre, control centre, popup windows, stock keyboard, spotlight. all the stock apps. don't forget many people's core iOS experience is stock apps: Phone, Messages, Mail, Safari, .. the list goes on but all stock apps!

The immediate impact would be pretty wide. Then apps could, over a beta period, start to take advantage of the dark mode. Apple would make apps aware of this setting and able to adjust their UI when the setting changes. Not all apps would take advantage of it, but that doesn't mean dark mode isn't possible!
 

Joseph C

macrumors 65816
Feb 5, 2009
1,452
2,751
To say that dark mode isn't possible just because 3rd party apps exist with their own design is taking it too far. Yes, it does mean there can't be an immediate, universal, all encompassing dark mode. But there are still many key system features and many stock apps, regularly used by many iOS users, where a dark mode would have some immediate impact. And it would still be open for 3rd party apps to join in slowly.

Notifications, widgets, notification centre, control centre, popup windows, stock keyboard, spotlight. all the stock apps. don't forget many people's core iOS experience is stock apps: Phone, Messages, Mail, Safari, .. the list goes on but all stock apps!

The immediate impact would be pretty wide. Then apps could, over a beta period, start to take advantage of the dark mode. Apple would make apps aware of this setting and able to adjust their UI when the setting changes. Not all apps would take advantage of it, but that doesn't mean dark mode isn't possible!
Great post.

Find people saying it's not possible baffling and quite hilarious really! Of course it's bloody possible, and a large and growing swathe of users want it to happen!
 
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Paradoxally

macrumors 68000
Feb 4, 2011
1,987
2,898
No developer would ever say dark mode is not possible, and if they do, they're either a poor developer or have no idea how UIKit works.
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,461
im sick of seeing all these posts about dark mode, and I just don't understand how people think dark mode is even possible on iOS.

First of all, the new clock app is dark to match the Apple Watch App's counterparts, tvOS dark theme only darkens the menu, and OS X only darks the menu bar and dock, so what do you even expect from iOS??

Each apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix has their own design for apps, they're not going to redesign a whole new interface for a dark mode. No API can simply just blacken everything.

Dark mode in safari? That's ridiculous when the only darken part is the top bar and the whole page is all white. (Because Most websites are white.)

simply put, iOS can't have a dark mode
Simply put, this is incorrect.
 
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jonnyb098

macrumors 601
Nov 16, 2010
4,248
6,492
Michigan
im sick of seeing all these posts about dark mode, and I just don't understand how people think dark mode is even possible on iOS.

First of all, the new clock app is dark to match the Apple Watch App's counterparts, tvOS dark theme only darkens the menu, and OS X only darks the menu bar and dock, so what do you even expect from iOS??

Each apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix has their own design for apps, they're not going to redesign a whole new interface for a dark mode. No API can simply just blacken everything.

Dark mode in safari? That's ridiculous when the only darken part is the top bar and the whole page is all white. (Because Most websites are white.)

simply put, iOS can't have a dark mode


Really ? No app or API can do it? Interesting since News app title bar is dynamic from light to dark depending on the content.......oh yeah, also weather underground app, twitteriffic, ibooks, maps, safari, the itunes store app ALLLLLL have a dynamic dark mode.

#facts
 
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taedouni

macrumors 65816
Jun 7, 2011
1,117
29
California
im sick of seeing all these posts about dark mode, and I just don't understand how people think dark mode is even possible on iOS.

First of all, the new clock app is dark to match the Apple Watch App's counterparts, tvOS dark theme only darkens the menu, and OS X only darks the menu bar and dock, so what do you even expect from iOS??

Each apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix has their own design for apps, they're not going to redesign a whole new interface for a dark mode. No API can simply just blacken everything.

Dark mode in safari? That's ridiculous when the only darken part is the top bar and the whole page is all white. (Because Most websites are white.)

simply put, iOS can't have a dark mode
Darkmode on OS X and Apple TV do not affect third party apps and neither would iOS 10.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
20,392
23,887
Singapore
My guess is that dark mode will debut next year in tandem with the 2017 iPhone and its rumored amoled display.
 

ipottersmith

macrumors member
Jun 14, 2016
44
67
Perfect reply.
With the plethora of over-confident, angry morons on discussion boards these days, it's easy, and tempting, to respond with disgust & anger. But nothing shuts down cocksure stupidity like the plain simple truth. Well done.

(P.S. dark mode looks great.)
:)
 

evorc

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2011
570
269
Of course it's possible. And third party apps? Apple will provide it in iOS SDK. I've always been a fan of dark themes. I would welcome this option. Played around with the beta before downgrading, the new lock screen widgets, notifications, etc. just looks weird white. A darker theme would make them look better.
 

SMIDG3T

Suspended
Apr 29, 2012
3,859
2,316
England
im sick of seeing all these posts about dark mode, and I just don't understand how people think dark mode is even possible on iOS.

First of all, the new clock app is dark to match the Apple Watch App's counterparts, tvOS dark theme only darkens the menu, and OS X only darks the menu bar and dock, so what do you even expect from iOS??

Each apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix has their own design for apps, they're not going to redesign a whole new interface for a dark mode. No API can simply just blacken everything.

Dark mode in safari? That's ridiculous when the only darken part is the top bar and the whole page is all white. (Because Most websites are white.)

simply put, iOS can't have a dark mode

Don't be stupid, of course it's "possible".

Implementing a Dark Mode for EVERY app would be near-impossible, because, as you say, all third-party apps have their own design (unless Apple put in a very strict guideline that required apps to have two different UI's but that's very unlikely).

For first-party apps (especially Settings, Music, Mail, Messages, Phone) it's very possible indeed. Even if Apple did this, I think it'd make a lot of people happy.
 
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bradkrischel

macrumors 6502
Sep 2, 2010
297
150
USA
Don't be stupid, of course it's "possible".

Implementing a Dark Mode for EVERY app would be near-impossible, because, as you say, all third-party apps have their own design (unless Apple put in a very strict guideline that required apps to have two different UI's but that's very unlikely).

For first-party apps (especially Settings, Music, Mail, Messages, Phone) it's very possible indeed. Even if Apple did this, I think it'd make a lot of people happy.

If Apple leads the way with Dark Mode on their first-party apps, third party developers will likely follow. I've already made the decision to switch to certain apps with "dark themes" over similarly functioning apps that I had used in the past. I assume I'm not the only one. Let the app market decide what is "possible" - some apps might not conform, but their active user numbers might decrease due to customers switching to other apps with implemented dark modes.
 
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