Google is rolling out dark mode for Gmail and Maps

Google has begun rolling out dark mode for two of its most used apps, Gmail and Maps, for iOS and Android. But… not everyone will get a taste of it.

In a tweet, a spokesperson confirmed the company is “rolling out dark mode for Gmail in the latest update.” The spokesperson added that users with Android 10 and iOS 11 (and newer versions) should see an option to enable it in settings “soon.”

“Currently dark mode options are only available for Android 10+ and iOS 11+,” the spokesperson said in a follow-up tweet. “If these OS versions are available for your device we recommend updating in order to use dark mode.”

Hi there. We’ve started rolling out dark mode for Gmail in the latest update. You should see an option to enable it if you have iOS 11+/Android 10+ soon. Also, you can submit feedback regarding the mark as read option: Gmail app > Help & feedback > Send Feedback? Appreciate it!

— Gmail (@gmail) October 9, 2019

In other news, Google also teased dark mode for Maps via the official Android account on Instagram. The post suggests the feature should already be available on Android 10, but there’s no mention of iOS yet.

View this post on Instagram

Dark Theme delivers on #Android10. Try it, your ? and ? will thank you.

A post shared by Android (@android) on Oct 9, 2019 at 10:35am PDT

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Indeed, some Redditors have been spotting minor hints of dark mode in Maps in older devices already, like dark-themed buttons.

While most iPhone users shouldn’t encounter any trouble updating to a version of iOS with support for dark mode, that might be an issue for Android users — especially owners of handsets running custom skins — who tend to receive such updates with a delay.

I’m currently using a Huawei P30 Pro, and have yet to receive the update for Android 10, for instance. My colleague Ivan Mehta was able to switch on dark mode for Gmail on his iPhone 11, though. Here’s a look at it:

To get the new theme in Gmail on your iPhone, you have to enable dark mode on iOS. Alternatively, head to Settings > Theme from the Gmail app (though that setting doesn’t seem to be available to all iOS 13 users yet).

As is the case with rollouts like that, some users might get dark mode with a slight delay — even if your phone runs the newest version of Android or iOS. So don’t be too discouraged if you’re one of these people.