#TechBytes: How to enable official dark mode in WhatsApp
What's the story
Even as Android, iOS and a bunch of apps available on both platforms continue to embrace dark mode, WhatsApp, the leading messaging app on the planet, remains devoid of the dark theme.
The Facebook-owned company has been testing the feature for months, but if you want to try it right away, we have got a reliable workaround.
Let's take a look at it.
Workaround
Hidden flag enabling official dark theme on WhatsApp
Just recently, a crafty Redditor found that the dark theme has landed on the stable build of WhatsApp through a hidden flag.
However, as the flag has not been enabled by the company, the theme still remains invisible for users.
This means that the only way to try the dark mode right now is by manually enabling the flag in question.
Steps
How to enable the hidden flag
In order to enable the said flag, update WhatsApp to the latest available version from the Google Play Store and root your smartphone because you can't modify flags' in-app packages without root privileges.
Then, once the device is rooted, you just have to locate a certain file and add a line of code to enable the flag.
Changes
Open and modify 'com.whatsapp_preferences.xml'
To make the changes in the file, install Solid Explorer, a file explorer with root partition access, and navigate to /data/data/com.whatsapp/shared_prefs.
Then, open the "com.whatsapp_preferences.xml" file with the text editor of your device and add this line at the bottom: < boolean name="dark_mode" value="true" / >.
Keep it inside the < Map > tag and then hit the save button.
Use
Now, just force stop and restart WhatsApp
After modifying the flag, force stop WhatsApp, open it again, and head over to the settings section.
Here, you will find the new 'Theme' option, which provides the option to switch to a dark theme instantly.
Once enabled, the entire app would turn dark, including the main chat and status screens as well as the settings screen.