LinkedIn is the latest app to get a dark mode makeover

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LinkedIn will soon be getting an optional dark mode, according to findings from app researcher Jane Manchun Wong.

After discovering that Facebook is developing a dark mode for its Android app, Manchun Wong did some digging into LinkedIn's code and found evidence that it's also getting a new, moodier interface.

She notes that LinkedIn's dark mode seems to be at an early stage in development, and not all elements have yet been adapted (some dark icons are almost invisible against the new background, for example), and there's no way to tell when the finished look will be rolled out.

"The time it takes to develop and release experimental features like this varies," Wong said. "I am as curious about the release timeline of LinkedIn’s Dark Mode as you are!"

Dark matters

Companies are falling over themselves to develop dark versions of their apps before the release of Android Q, which will feature its own native dark mode and is due to start arriving on handsets in a matter of weeks.

Creating a dark mode isn't simply a matter of changing a few colors, though. It can throw up some unexpected challenges, as we saw with early versions of Chrome's dark variant, which made it tough to differentiate between regular browsing and incognito mode.

However, LinkedIn might have an advantage here. Its parent company Microsoft is a master of the dark arts, and has created dark versions of almost all its desktop apps, which can be activated by simply changing the main Windows theme.

We doubt there's much crossover between the LinkedIn developers and those working on apps for Windows, but the mobile team could certainly pick up a few pointers from their desktop colleagues.

Via Android Police