Dark mode is coming to WhatsApp Web, just don’t expect to be able to use it

The Facebook-owned instant messaging app is going all-in on dark as new information reveals dark mode is currently being developed for the desktop version of WhatsApp. Don’t expect to be able to use it yet, though.

Who among us does not automatically seek out dark mode when using our ever-increasing gallery of apps? It hurts your eyes less, it looks far snazzier than some bland white background and you get the added sense of superiority over your friends when they ask, “How did you turn on dark mode?” Everybody wins. Yet while dark mode has become a feature of most widely-used apps, WhatsApp has been a little slow on the uptake. While it has been implemented for both Android and iOS versions of the app, desktop users are still clamouring for something less bright.

So it should come as a major relief to those users that WhatsApp us reportedly testing dark mode for WhatsApp Web as we speak if a new leak is anything to go on. Notable WhatsApp leaker WABetaInfo has spotted a dark mode variant of the desktop version. While still clearly choppy and unoptimised, it does appear to be functional nonetheless.

One of the reported issues with the desktop variant is that emojis tend to be framed by a white background which ruins the overall aesthetic of the dark mode but that’s only a minor error, I would think. While there’s no official confirmation that WhatsApp is indeed working on a dark mode for desktop, it seems only logical at this point to implement it. When the official release for such an update will be is still up in the air.