Facebook App's Dark Mode Rollout on iOS Finally Gathers Pace

After months of delay and stop-start testing, Dark Mode for Facebook finally appears to be rolling out for iOS users globally, over 400 days since Apple first introduced the feature in iOS 13.

facebook dark mode setting
Evidence that Facebook has been working on a ‌Dark Mode‌ for its official app first surfaced in April, and by June a small percentage of users had access to the setting, which hinted that the company was gradually rolling out the feature for testing purposes.

However, propagation has been glacially slow ever since, and it's only in the last couple of days that more and more users have contacted MacRumors to report that they're seeing the option under Settings & Privacy within the app's Menu tab.

Confirmation that ‌Dark Mode‌ is rolling out in earnest on iOS and Android came courtesy of app hacker Jane Manchun Wong, who made a video in collaboration with Facebook and shared it on Twitter.


‌Dark Mode‌ has been available on the social network's website for a while now, and some of Facebook's other apps, including Messenger and Instagram have long featured ‌‌Dark Mode‌‌, so it's unclear why the company's flagship app took longer to gain the feature.

Google's Gmail app was the last major app to get ‌Dark Mode‌, following a similar patchy rollout beset by inconsistent functionality.

(Thanks, E K!)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...

Top Rated Comments

Sebosz Avatar
64 months ago
Wow... Took them literally YEARS to switch the colors to darker shades of grey. What a shame.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
64 months ago

if it has taken them that long to learn how to code a simple background change then perhaps facebook engineers are not the evil geniuses we credit them with being, evil yes, but it’s not exactly complicated...
When your resources are focused on the evil and how to exploit it, simple interface issues are last priority.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve62388 Avatar
64 months ago
So why is it huge (and not so huge) companies like Facebook take so long to implement a simple but welcome feature? Are they taking their time deciding what colours to use? Is there some complicated coding process I'm not aware of? Is it because it won't make them any money? I don't get it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chublet Avatar
64 months ago
if it has taken them that long to learn how to code a simple background change then perhaps facebook engineers are not the evil geniuses we credit them with being, evil yes, but it’s not exactly complicated...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
daisuke.5 Avatar
64 months ago

Only use FB thru Safari so it’s a non-issue. ;)
Plus saves 2hrs or more battery life in my iPhone 11 pro max, which I will always trade for dark mode anytime. Will never install the app until facebook fixes it ever again. Plus their dark mode is not really true black so would most probably be the same battery consumption compared to white.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechieGeek Avatar
64 months ago
Not only are there privacy concerns with having this app installed, there’s also the unnecessary battery use.

Delete the app entirely and use Safari to access FB if you must.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)