Dark mode has become increasingly popular in recent years, as users have grown to appreciate the benefits of reduced eye strain and improved battery life. Yesterday, Twitter — or X or whatever — announced that it would remove light mode and move exclusively to dark mode. Thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed and light mode will be staying around after some backlash, but another mode is still going away.
As with most news involving Twitter lately, it started with a tweet from CEO Elon Musk in the middle of the night (via The Verge). Apparently, Musk had decided that the platform should “only have dark mode” and that it was better than light mode “in every way.”
Expectedly, this tweet was met with backlash from light mode lovers across the Twitterverse, culminating in Musk walking back his initial declaration. Now, dark mode will be the default setting on Twitter whenever the change happens, and users will be able to switch to light mode if they prefer it. However, dim will no longer be an option.
Twitter’s dark mode has two settings: Lights out and Dim. The first option uses black backgrounds throughout the app for an OLED-friendly dark UI. Dim, the option slated for the chopping block, used dark blue backgrounds.
Currently, Twitter opens in light mode the first time you run the app after installation. Meanwhile, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS all have system-wide dark mode settings. Many apps and websites respect this setting, switching between light and dark UIs when you toggle the OS-level option or when your system automatically switches between day and night modes. In enabling dark mode by default, Musk has missed a chance to make Twitter feel more like a native app on the various platforms.
One last look at Twitter’s Dim mode (middle)
This whole saga has done nothing to quell the dark mode vs. light mode debate. Those who support dark mode argue that it is more eye-friendly in low-light conditions and can save battery life, especially on devices with OLED screens. However, some users find it difficult to read light text on a dark background, and others simply prefer the look of light mode. Dim mode was a middle ground between the two, but as with most debates on Twitter, we’re left with only the extremes.
There is no word on when this update is coming, other than the “soon” in Musk’s original tweet.
