How to Enable Dark Mode on Instagram

In late 2019, following iOS 13’s Dark Mode update, Instagram launched a dark mode for its app. iPhone owners on iOS 13 or later and Android users on Android 10 or later can, with the latest version of Instagram, use dark mode on Instagram. There are also ways to change Instagram’s color scheme via a third-party app or a browser extension from the pre-dark mode era of Instagram.

This article will show you how to set up dark mode on Instagram on your iOS, Android, and desktop devices.

How to Enable Dark Mode on Instagram

Users can enable Dark Mode on their iOS or Android devices. But, you can also switch the Instagram app to Dark Mode itself. This section will cover how to change Instagram to Dark Mode in the app.

How to Change Instagram to Dark Mode – AndroidOS

If you’re using the Android app, you can follow these steps to activate Dark Mode:

1. Open Instagram and tap on your Profile icon in the lower right corner. Then, tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner.
   
2. Tap on Theme.
   
3. Tap on Dark.
   

If you decide you want to revert the changes, you can by following the steps in reverse.

The System Default option forces Instagram to change the theme according to your device Settings. To change the default theme on your Android, follow these steps:

1. Access Settings.
   
   
   
2. Tap on Display.
   
   
   
3. You’ll see a toggle next to “Dark Theme” in the Display menu. Toggle this on, and your display will instantly change to dark mode.
   
   
   
4. Log into Instagram to make sure this change has taken place.
   
   

How to Change Instagram to Dark Mode – iOS

The iOS Instagram app doesn’t offer the same Dark Mode setting as the Android version. Fortunately, you can go to your device Settings to enable the feature. Here’s what to do:

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
2. Tap Display & Brightness.
   
3. You can switch between Light and Dark mode at the top of the screen. Instagram will switch to whichever mode you set on your device.
   

Now, launch Instagram and you will see the app in Dark Mode.

There are a few other simple ways to enable dark mode on your iPhone and iPad in iOS 13. The Control Center offers

1. From any screen on your iPhone or iPad, swipe open your Control Center. On iPhone 8 and older (Touch ID), you do this by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. On iPhone X and newer (Face ID), as well as on any iPad updated to at least iOS 13, you swipe down from the top right corner of your screen.
2. In the Control Center, press and hold the Brightness slider.
   
3. The Brightness slider will grow, taking up the entire screen. Tap the bottom left bubble to turn on Dark Mode and tap it again to turn Dark Mode off. When it’s on, Instagram will also be in dark mode.
   

If you prefer Instagram follows the theme of your phone you can tap on System Settings in the Instagram app. Then, you can follow these steps to enable the them in the Settings on your iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
2. Tap Display & Brightness.
   
3. You’ll notice a toggle switch that says Automatic just below the Light and Dark options. When you turn this switch on, your iOS device will automatically change between Light and Dark mode depending on what time of day it is (Dark at night, Light during the day). Instagram will change with these settings automatically.
   
4. You can set the times you want to switch between the two modes by selecting Options directly under the Automatic toggle.
   

Use Night Eye Browser Extension For Desktop

But wait! What if you don’t always Instagram on a mobile device? Fortunately, there is a way, with the Night Eye browser extension. Not only will Night Eye provide a beautiful dark mode for Instagram, but you can also use it for other websites to make your late-night browsing easy on the old peepers.

The Night Eye extension is multi-platform and will work on any device running a supported browser. The supported browser list is truly impressive, including Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, and several others. The extension lets you set websites to run in one of three modes – Dark, Filtered, and Normal.

Installing the Night Eye browser extension is trivially simple:

1. Go to https://nighteye.app/
   
2. Select the appropriate browser from the “Install” menu on the Night Eye site.
   
3. This should bring you to a browser-specific page: tap the “Add Extension” or similar button to add the extension.
   
   
   

Night Eye has multiple layers of service, ranging from free to inexpensive. The free version of the extension is yours to use forever, the only limitation being that you can only use it on five specific websites. You can also buy an annual subscription for $9, which removes the 5-site limitation. Alternatively, you can drop $40 as a one-time payment to get unlimited use of Night Eye in perpetuity.

Instagram Dark Mode Can Save Your Eyes

Remember, too much screen time has many negative implications for your eyesight and overall health. It’s been proven that people who spend over four hours looking at their phones experience fatigue and headaches, not to mention watery eyes and other issues. Set up dark mode on your phone, and you can at least make sure that the damage is minimal.

It doesn’t matter if you’re using Instagram or any other app; if the background is white, your eyes will feel the strain after some time. Things become even harder on your eyes if you are staring at the screen in a dark room, so it’s always best to install or set dark mode on in those cases.