Gmail, Google Maps to get Dark Mode update soon: Here’s how it works

Google’s popular apps, Gmail and Maps, are getting the Dark Mode treatment. But, not everyone can use it.

Dark Mode coming to Gmail and Google Maps very soon. (Google)

Dark Mode is the flavour of the season. Instagram this week rolled out Dark Mode for its users globally. Now, Google is joining the party with a new update to its Gmail and Google Maps applications. The Dark Mode feature is available for both Android and iOS users. The catch, however, is that Android users need to have the latest Android 10 on their phone while iPhone users need iOS 11 and above.

"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," said Gmail in a tweet.

Google introduced system-wide dark mode feature with its Android 10 update. Since the new update is relatively new and a handful of devices are running the update, very few users can actually access the Dark Mode theme. As far as Maps' Dark Mode feature goes, Google has already begun teasing the feature. For Maps' Dark Mode, users will need the new Android 10 update on their phones.  

The latest update to Google apps comes shortly after Facebook's Instagram rolled out dark mode on its Android and iOS versions. To enable Dark Mode on your Instagram app, download the latest version of the app from Play Store and App Store. The Dark Mode isn't a separate feature within the app as it depends upon the theme of the device you've set. Turn on dark theme of your phone and Instagram will automatically update to the new theme.

Apart from Google and Instagram, WhatsApp is also working on a Dark Theme. The recent beta versions of WhatsApp for Android have the option to switch between light theme and dark theme.