Google’s battery-saving dark mode has been officially released. Android 10, the first version of the software with a non-dessert name, has been released to Pixel phones first and will be available to other Android handsets later this year. That means you'd probably have to wait weeks or months before having the chance to update to the new model. However, Google has asked phone makers to push for updates more quickly. Prior to the official launch of Android Q, also known as Android 10, Google had released a new dark mode for Google Pay.

With the first stable release, you’ll get the dark theme for apps such as Google Keep, Files, Photos, Fit, and others. In June this year, the company had also introduced a dark theme for the Google app but only for certain users and a few screens of the app. It’s being released to Google Assistant as well.
Some users are complaining the dark theme is available but without an update from the Play Store. The explanation is that it’s a server-side update so it may not be available to all users even with the latest version of the Google App.

The new Android Q, also known as Android 10, comes with a ton of features, including a new dark mode, privacy controls, and built-in Live Captions. This new feature will automatically generate captions, that too, in real-time for any audio playing on your phone, phone calls, videos, including podcasts even if your phone is offline. So if you love watching videos and podcasts on your phone you would want a connection such as offered by at&t internet plans, without any lag or interruptions and minimum downtime.

The feature, which Google debuted earlier this year at I/O, works even when your phone is offline. And though my early demo of the feature had a couple of issues, it could be a pretty big deal as far as the accessibility.
According to Google, the dark color scheme will save on battery life for phones with OLED displays and will activate automatically when you enable battery-saving mode.

You’ll have to go to Android’s settings to activate the battery-saving mode. It will darken all menus as well as certain Google apps like Photos and Calendar. Also, with third-party developers to support the feature, we’ll probably see more of our apps going dark over time.

Updates besides the Live Captions feature new iPhone-like navigational gestures, which are optimized for edge-to-edge displays, faster security updates, location tracking, and ad tracking. However, gesture navigation is optional. Using the same old three-button navigation you can open apps more efficiently with the new navigation gestures. Also, the back button has been replaced when swiping left and right from the screen while a long press on the side opens a navigation drawer.

You’ll also be able to silence specific alerts, set a focus mode to pause distracting apps. Focus mode, which allows you to silence specific apps, is still in beta for now but Google is allowing people to sign up to beta test the feature.
Referred to as “Quick wallet access”, the new dark mode feature introduced to Google Pay, shows multiple credit cards, passes and tickets from the Google Pay app when you press and hold the power button to see the power menu. It’s available for all smartphones with Android Pie or above.

According to the Android Police, the dark mode is part of version 2.96.264233179. That means when you update to the latest version, it will automatically switch to dark mode as soon as the smartphone goes to battery saving mode.
However, this mode doesn't display a completely black theme, it’s actually a deep grey theme. It’s designed to not strain your eyes, thus serving the purpose the dark theme was designed for.

It doesn’t come with the dark grey wither. You’ll find other colors used in this mode such as a light shade of blue in some options like Payment mode or the See More option.

The dark mode will also be reportedly available for Google Chrome and is expected to feature in more apps and Android phones over the coming year. It’s a given that iPhones receive updates sooner than Androids as the latter have a slower adoption rate with new releases. Also, manufacturers and carriers have to approve when and which phones will receive them.

Data collected during a 7-day period ending on May 7, 2019, by Google’s Android distribution dashboard suggests only 10.4% of all Android devices are running Android Pie Version 9 released last year. Moreover, almost 28.3% of Android devices still run 8.0 and 8.1 versions of Android Oreo.
Getting the latest updates first is a good reason to buy the Pixel phone.

Conclusion
These are just some of the new features the dark mode will offer. There’ll be others, for instance, like new fonts, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides to name just a few. While the battery saving mode will be a standard part of the dark theme other updates will also enhance usability contributing towards saving your eyes.

Author's Bio: 

Sean Williamson lives in New York City and calls himself the 'tech-bro', given his special interest in everything that's digital. Besides writing for major technological sites in the spare time, he likes to stay on top of the latest developments, especially in the field of smartphone tech. His dream to create an app that solves if not all, at least some of the major problems faced by people at large. He works as a writer in a company.