Dark mode finally comes to Android but not everyone will get the feature

Dark theme is now available with the latest beta version of Android Q.

Light theme and dark theme on Android Q. (Google)

Google announced the latest beta version of Android Q at its ongoing I/O 2019 conference. Android Q beta 3 is now available for 21 devices including the Pixel smartphones.

Google also announced new features coming to its latest iteration of Android. Dark mode is now available for Android Q with the latest beta update. However, not all smartphones will have first access to dark mode. Google says it has doubled the number of partnered devices this year for Android beta update.

Smartphones like Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Nokia 8.1, OnePlus 6T and Sony Xperia XZ3 are eligible for Android Q beta update. Budget smartphone Realme 3 Pro also made it to the list of Android Q devices. The full list of compatible devices can be found here.

which can be turned on by going to Settings > Display > Theme > Dark Theme. Users can also turn it on by tapping on the dedicated icon in the 'Quick Settings' tab. The smartphone will also go into dark mode automatically when battery saver is turned on.

As the name suggests, dark theme on Android Q turns the background of the UI dark. While the background remains dark, text is still highlighted in the same grey and blue colours. Google's dark theme for Android Q however comes with limitations due to lack of app support. In fact, most of Google's apps do not have support for dark theme as yet. Google assures that it will enable dark theme support for all its first party apps soon, The Verge reports.

For third-party apps Google is offering API for developers to build their own version of dark themes. There's also a shortcut option of 'Force Dark' feature which creates a dark themed version of their existing theme.

Dark mode has been increasingly popular with apps like Twitter, YouTube, and Messenger having adopted it already. Other than offering a different UI experience, dark mode helps in saving battery power on smartphones.