More and more apps have been getting dark modes recently, and there are a number of reasons for this. Dark mode not only lessens eyestrain and saves battery life, but it looks nice on OLED displays as well.
Now, Facebook Messenger just rolled out this option to users, but there's a catch: it's not readily available in the app's settings.
Activating Dark Mode For Messenger
A Reddit user found the trick to unlock dark mode on Messenger, and as mentioned, users can't just see it in the settings menu.
To activate Messenger's dark mode, users have to send a crescent moon emoji — not the moon with a face — either to someone else in their list or to themselves. Falling crescent moons will then appear on the Messenger chat window along with a message prompt saying "You found Dark Mode!" Tapping it will lead to the settings menu where the hidden toggle for dark mode will appear. Turn it on and — voila — Messenger will be set to dark mode.
Those who still can't access the dark mode after doing the above steps might need to update Messenger to the latest version first or force quit and restart the app.
Facebook says that dark mode for Messenger is still a work in progress. Simply put, it's still in the testing phase, so there might be some features in the app that won't support it, and other users may not have this option yet.
Revamping Facebook Messenger
Facebook has been working on redesigning the Messenger app lately. Last year, Messenger got a cleaner interface update that ensures a "simple and fast experience."
In early February, Facebook finally added the unsend feature to Messenger, but it comes with some drawbacks. Users must delete a message 10 minutes after sending it, or it will be in the thread forever. Also, deleting a message will notify the receiver that the sender removed a message from a thread.
