How to get dark mode on your Android phone or tablet in 2 ways, and help reduce eye strain

• To get dark mode on your Android device, you'll need to either upgrade to Android 10, or download an app.
• Dark mode changes the color palette of your Android device, and is designed to make it easier on your eyes.

In recent years, dark mode has become all the rage. Proponents claim that turning on dark mode on your phone can reduce eye stress and help your sleep — although research seems to show that these effects are subtle at best.

Nonetheless, you might prefer dark mode for aesthetic reasons, or to help save your device's battery.

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Depending on what type of Android device you have, you can get dark mode in two different ways.

How to get dark mode on an Android device running Android 10

If your handset is running Android 10, putting it into dark mode is easy, because it's built into the OS.

Just do this:

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Display."

3. At the top of the Display page, switch on dark mode by tapping "Dark."

4. If you'd like, you can tap "Dark mode settings" and control the way dark mode works. This includes letting it turn off and on automatically, based on the time of day.

How to get dark mode on an Android device running Android 9 or earlier

Unfortunately, if you're running an older version of Android, there's no option to enable dark mode in Settings.

Instead, you can install any of the various dark mode apps on the Google Play store — just search for "dark mode" and find one that looks good.

These apps likely won't give your entire phone a dark mode, but will darken various menus and applications.

One excellent option is an app called Nova Launcher, which lets you enable dark mode manually or schedule it based on time of day.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to turn on Dark Mode on your Windows 10 computer to reduce eye strain and give everything a sleek look

• How to turn on Dark Mode on YouTube, to reduce eye strain and make videos stand out on your screen

• How to turn on Dark Mode on your Mac, to reduce eye strain and give your computer a sleek new look

• How to turn on dark mode on the Facebook Messenger mobile app

• How to make Google Chrome display in 'Dark Mode' in 3 ways on your Mac or PC