Android 15 might be better at forcing dark mode on apps

Ben Schoon | Apr 26 2024 - 11:21 am PT

Dark mode finally solidified itself a few years back, but there are a bunch of apps – looking at you Fitbit – that still ignore the feature. With Android 15, though, it seems like there will be a better option for forcing dark mode on apps.

Since Android 10’s early days, Google has offered a developer option to “override force dark” on Android apps. This effectively forces the app to adopt a dark theme by inverting some elements of the UI. But, even down to today, it’s only so effective. A lot of app elements often won’t change, and apps would often just ignore the setting entirely.

In Android 15, Google appears to be working on a new method of forcing dark mode which better applies to apps.

First spotted in later beta builds of Android 14, Android Authority is now showcasing improvements to a new option that’s likely, but not confirmed to debut in Android 15.

This new option is simply titled “Make all apps dark” and is found in Android’s “Color and motion” settings under Accessibility. Other options in this menu include color inversion, removing animations, and color correction settings.

This new option allows Android to force apps to use a dark theme, but doesn’t affect images, and also works on more apps as some apps have opted out of the “override force dark” toggle over the years. Examples shared of this in action include Fitbit, which doesn’t really get much of a dark UI under “override force dark,” but does under this new setting. Another improvement that comes from this seems to be that the status bar properly reacts to the now-dark app, rather than still showing as if the app was in a light theme.

Google does note, though, that this setting still won’t work perfectly.

Applies to apps without their own dark theme. Some apps may have display issues, like inverted colors.

Fitbit
Orangetheory
Amazon
eBay

As mentioned, this feature isn’t confirmed for Android 15, but it’s pretty clear that Google is preparing this feature for its debut. And with a few months and multiple beta releases between now and Android 15’s full debut later this year, there’s plenty of time for Google to bring this one to the surface.

Another new feature potentially coming in Android 15 that was mentioned by Android Authority this week is Bluetooth audio sharing which, apparently, will work via a QR code.