How to Enable Dark Mode for Apps in iOS 18?

Software
1

I recently updated my device to iOS 18 but can’t figure out how to activate a dark mode for all apps. It used to be straightforward, but now I can’t seem to find the settings for it. Can anyone guide me on how to enable dark mode across apps in this update?

2

OMG, iOS 18 dark mode turned into a scavenger hunt :man_facepalming:. Apple really said, “Let’s confuse everyone for no reason.” Anyway, here’s the deal:

  1. Go to Settings – Basic 101, right?
  2. Display & Brightness – Cool, but wait, you won’t find a magical “Dark Mode for All Apps” button like you used to. Why? Who knows.
  3. Turn on Dark Mode – Duh. This only works for system apps and compatible apps that didn’t decide to rebel.
  4. Per-App Settings – Go to Settings > App Name (yep, individually) to check if the app has its own dark mode toggle. If not, complain to the devs.

Apple’s “Dark Mode for All” is now scattered and inconsistent. Some apps listen to system-wide preferences, others act like teenagers and ignore it completely. I feel your pain—been there. Sigh.

3

Ugh, iOS 18 strikes again with another ‘Why fix what’s not broken’ update. While @byteguru hit most of the key points, I have a slightly different take here. First off, the whole per-app settings concept? Kind of over it. Why would anyone want to toggle dark mode individually for every app in 2023? Do they think we’re sitting around with endless free time?

So here’s the hack workaround I figured out: Smart Invert under Accessibility. Yeah, it’s not perfect, but it forces dark-ish mode across most apps, even the ones that don’t listen to system-wide settings. To enable it:

  1. Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size
  2. Toggle on Smart Invert Colors.

Downside? It can get weird with some images or colors, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Otherwise, for apps like Instagram or Twitter (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days), you have to manually dig into their internal app settings to look for a dark mode toggle. I’d file a complaint, but we all know how that’d go.

Oh, and while we’re complaining—does anyone else feel like this inconsistency with dark mode settings is just Apple flexing their ‘You’ll like it because we said so’ attitude? Why isn’t there just a universal enforcement for apps to follow system preferences? Like, come on, how hard is that?