Credit: https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/18/17747018/google-reverts-android-messages-update
Only a couple of days ago, Google mysteriously pulled the new Material Theme with a dark mode from Android Messages. That seems to be in the past as the company has now started rolling out the new feature to the app once again.
The new design was pulled back the same day it made its entry, and users were already upgrading to version 3.5. Like some of you already know, that version came with a Dark Mode.
An updated version was spotted via Twitter on Sunday, and is beginning to roll out via the Play Store. You can run the app once, force close it, and restart to have the Material Theme design activated. Of course, you might need a couple of tries before you get it right, but keep giving it a shot and I am sure you will have the cool looking theme running on your app pretty soon.
Hopefully, this has come to stay and won’t be pulled back anytime soon by Google. The rollback is not a permanent one as we had feared; that said, I only hope that Google still does not change its mind and beat a retreat same way it did last week.
Many Reddit users were first among many to spot the odd change made by Google last week, and were able to post their comments in reaction to the action.
The new Material Theme, which is stark white in color, has lighter secondary colors conversation bubbles while the avatar icons have now been changed to make them bolder.
As against the black backdrop, text, text, buttons, and icons now appear in white color. The Smart Reply chips now uses black text on white bubbles, but that could just be temporary. You can enable the dark mode by going to settings to switch a toggle.
Dark Mode as a feature is being embraced by many app developers. In the recent past, Twitter and YouTube had both upgraded their apps, and users were excited.
Dark Theme is preferred by many users because of its many benefits. For example, viewing YouTube in a room with dim light does not leave any strain on your eye. It is very unlike the usual way of watching YouTube, especially in an apartment where there is no light or the light is dim.
YouTube formally announced Dark Theme in the middle of last year after it quietly added it to its service without raising an eyebrow. Dark Theme, according to the company, is designed to “cut down” on glare and let you take in the true colors of the videos you watch. It [Dark Theme] turns your background dark, and enriches your YouTube experience.
Finally, YouTube introduced the feature to mobile last March. The web version of dark mode was added sometimes last year, and became instantly popular among users and visitors to the website. At the time, many users thought it won’t be long until the mobile version was added, but that was not to be until months later.
