How To Get Dark Mode Snapchat

Here's how to enable the unreleased dark mode on Snapchat for Android

While a majority of popular apps have received a native dark theme over the last few years, there are still quite a few that don't offer the feature. Snapchat, for instance, still doesn't offer dark mode support. But that's set to change soon. The social media platform recently started rolling out a dark mode on iOS, and its Android app is set to receive similar functionality soon. But if you don't want to wait, you can use a simple workaround on a rooted Android phone to get dark mode on Snapchat right away.

Snapchat rolled out a new "App Appearance" section in the app settings back in May. The section included three options — Match System, Always Light, and Always Dark — that let you automatically match the app theme with the iOS system theme, keep light mode on by default, or select the new dark mode as the default option. Although this setting isn't live on the Android version of the app, XDA Recognized Developer Quinny899 reports that it's possible to enable the in-development dark theme using the Preferences Manager app.

Note: The Preferences Manager app requires root access, so make sure your phone is rooted before following the steps mentioned below. If you haven't rooted your phone, you can check out our detailed guide to get started.

Here's how you can enable the in-development dark theme in Snapchat for Android:

Download the Preferences Manager app from the Play Store.
Select Snapchat on the app's home page and open the APP_START_EXPERIMENT_PREFS.xml file.
In the file, locate the "DARK_MODE" flag, set it to "ENABLED," and you're good to go.

As you can see in the attached screenshots, the workaround lets you access the in-development dark mode on Snapchat for Android. Do note that the dark mode is still very much a work in progress, so you may notice some inconsistencies. For instance, several screens have gray text on a black background and a few parts that still haven't been themed (see screenshots below).

It's also worth noting that the Preferences Manager app requires root access, so the workaround will only work on rooted devices. You can follow the steps given in this post to root your phone. If that looks too complicated, then we'd recommend steering clear and waiting for Snapchat to officially roll out the new dark mode on Android. Since the feature is already available for several iOS users, it shouldn't be long before it rolls out on Android as well.

About author

Pranob Mehrotra

A Literature and Linguistics graduate with a keen interest in everything Android. When not writing about tech, Pranob spends most of his time either playing League of Legends or lurking on Reddit.