How-to

How To Enable Dark Mode on the Google Pixel 3 and XL

Using dark mode on your Android phone or tablet is a great way to get more battery life. Here is a look at enabling it on Google’s Pixel 3 phone.

Enabling Dark Mode, or the Dark Device theme, as Google calls it, is a handy way of saving battery power on your Android device. Switching as much of your display to a Dark Mode helps save quite a bit of battery power on any phone, and not just on the Google Pixel. It works with all devices — as Google explained a few months ago.

Which is why it is advisable to do it with every app that supports it. That will allow your battery to serve you for a large portion of the day. More than that, you’ll probably find that apps look much better in dark colors and it’s easier on the eyes, especially at night. Here is a look at enabling Dark Mode on the Pixel 3.

Dark Mode on Pixel 3

Dark Mode doesn’t make as much of a difference on Google’s smartphones as it does on the One Plus 6T, where it changes all of the menus. On the Google Pixel 3 XL, the phone’s interface will “go dark” and so will the Quick Settings menu.

However, the rest of the menus won’t change, hopefully, we’ll see a more consistent dark mode in a future update. You can also switch the default messaging app to dark mode, but you have to do it separately.

Dark mode Pixel 3 xl menu

The phone interface also looks very nice when the mode is active. Below is a shot of the Phone app after enabling the dark theme.

Dark mode Pixel 3 XL phone (2)

Great! How Do I Enable Dark Mode on Pixel 3?

Enabling the Dark Theme is quite easy. First, open the regular Settings menu on your Pixel phone. Then, tap the Display category from the list of settings.

Dark mode Pixel 3 XL settings

Once in there, open Advanced and you’ll find Device Theme in that category of settings. You will be able to select between a Dark Theme or a Light Theme. You can also choose to have the phone adjust the theme automatically according to the wallpaper. If you are in the habit of changing your wallpaper often, this option could be useful. Just make sure to use wallpapers with dark colors.

Dark mode Pixel 3 XL settings 2

Dark themes are becoming popular and you’re seeing them across more and more platforms and devices. Remember, you will also need to change each app’s theme to Dark — if it has the option. For example, Twitter has had a dark theme for a while now, and more and more apps are following suit.

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