How To Turn On Mastodon’s Hidden Dark Mode

First, let’s discuss the steps for enabling dark mode on Mastodon mobile. By default, the app boots up in the same mode as your device. Upon installing Mastodon on a device set to dark mode, the app opens in dark mode, and the same is true for devices set to light mode. If you like to use your Android or iOS device in light mode, but want to enable dark mode for Mastodon, follow the steps given below.

1. Open Mastodon.
2. Tap on the settings icon at the top right corner of the interface.
3. In the “Look And Feel” section, select “Always Dark.” This will change the appearance of the app immediately.

While enabling Mastodon’s dark mode on iOS and Android, we noticed an anomaly. After enabling dark mode on Mastodon for iOS, the display switches to a dark-grey theme with white text. However, when we activated the dark mode on the Android device, the display did not turn dark grey. Instead, it switched to a deep shade of blue. Nevertheless, the app also has a “True black dark mode” that might work better for some users.

Although Mastodon for the web follows a dark theme by default, if yours doesn’t, follow the steps given below.

1. Open your Mastodon instance.
2. Toward the right, click on the Preferences tab.
3. Click on Appearance on the left.
4. Click on Site Theme to open a dropdown menu and select Mastodon (Dark).
5. Click on Save Changes at the top right.