Facebook Messenger Users Can Now Enable Dark Mode With This Emoji Trick

Dark Mode seems to be all the rage these days with desktop and mobile operating systems (and their complementing apps), and now Facebook is getting in on the action. The social network giant has now included a new dark mode in its popular Messenger app, and it’s relatively easy to enable. 

The dark mode in Messenger can be accessed either with Android or iOS versions of the app, and you’ll first need to send the crescent moon emoji (clever) to one of your contacts (or to yourself), after which you’ll some fancy animations and a message telling you that you’ve found dark mode. You’ll be then given the option to enable it in settings, which should turn your screen black. 

To be honest, when I first enabled it, it was a rather jarring experience from the usual white-on-blue aesthetic that I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. But I quickly acclimated to the look and now prefer if over the default color scheme.

“Messenger’s dark mode provides lower brightness while maintaining contrast and vibrancy,” wrote Facebook in a blog post. “Dark mode cuts down the glare from your phone for use in low light situations, so you can use the Messenger features you love no matter when or where you are.”

According to Facebook, in the coming weeks, users will no longer have to go through the additional step of sending the crescent moon emoji to unlock dark mode – it will instead be available right from settings for everyone.

At this point, it is unclear if or when a dark mode will make its way to the mainline Facebook app. It only seems natural for Facebook to eventually roll out the feature to its app, but the company has not announced any plans at the moment. 

Early last month, Facebook gave Messenger users the ability to unsend messages, a feature that was originally reserved for company executives like Mark Zuckerberg.