WhatsApp dark mode arrives in latest iOS beta update

New tweak could stop people being hit by blazing white light when they open up chats

Amnesty believes a hacker tried to break into a staff member’s smartphone by baiting the employee with a WhatsApp message about a protest in front of the Saudi Embassy in Washington (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

WhatsApp dark mode has finally arrived on the iPhone for early testers.

The new update suggests that it should come to everyone using iOS very soon.

Despite dark mode coming to the iPhone months ago, and in the face of repeated pleas from users, WhatsApp has not yet integrated the feature into its own app.

It means that people who use dark mode across the system – which tells apps to turn their backgrounds dark, and is recognised by most major apps on iOS – are hit by a dazzling white background when they open up WhatsApp.

Now the feature appears to have arrived in the latest beta update for the iPhone. Early testers of the app report that the feature is in the testing notes of the latest update, according to Macrumors.

That means the feature will no doubt roll out on the public version of the app very soon, after the short testing period is complete.

WhatsApp shares early versions of its new app through the beta process, allowing its braver users to try them out before they are fully ready.

Members of the public can sign up to be part of that test programme for iPhone, though it has been full for some time. On Android, it is possible to download the file for the software and force it onto the phone, though not recommended.

Fellow Facebook-owned Instagram also took a long time to integrate dark mode into its app. It finally arrived in October, in a much-anticipated update.

Apple added dark mode to the iPhone with the iOS 13 update last year. It allows users to switch the setting on and have not just the iPhone menus and Apple apps turn dark, but also other third-party software too.

It can be turned on by clicking into the settings and choosing display and brightness. In there is an option to switch to dark mode all the time, or to allow it to switch on automatically to match the light outside.