To make apps appear in dark mode on your iPhone, especially with iOS 18 or later, follow these steps:
- Enable System Dark Mode (affects most apps):
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Appearance and select Dark. Most Apple apps and many third-party apps that support dark mode will automatically switch to dark mode following this system setting
-
Customize App Icons to Dark Mode (iOS 18+ feature):
iOS 18 introduced a way to make your app icons themselves dark, matching the dark mode aesthetic. To do this:- Press and hold on an empty space on your Home Screen until the icons jiggle.
- Tap Edit in the top-left corner.
- Select Customize from the dropdown menu.
- Choose Dark to switch all app icons to a dark-themed version (or Automatic to switch based on time of day, or Light for normal icons).
- Tap outside the panel to exit
- Additional Customization Options:
- You can also darken your wallpaper from the same customization panel to better complement the dark icons.
- There is an option to apply a tint color over the icons if you want a colored dark mode look
- Third-Party Apps:
While system dark mode affects most apps, some third-party apps may require you to enable dark mode within their individual settings if they do not follow the system default automatically
In summary, enabling system-wide dark mode will switch supported apps to dark mode, and with iOS 18 or later, you can also make your app icons dark via the Home Screen customization menu for a consistent dark appearance across your iPhone.
