iOS 18 Will Extend Dark Mode to Home Screen App Icons, Sources Say

[dumastudetto]

I love the whimsy.

 

[David Derrick]

iOS 18 will effectively extend Dark Mode to the iPhone's Home Screen, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Introduced with iOS 13, Dark Mode gives built-in Apple apps and system elements a dark color scheme when turned on. Starting with iOS 18, app icons for Apple apps will also have a dark tint on the Home Screen when Dark Mode is on.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that iOS 18 will let users change the colors of app icons, and this dark tint is related to that feature.

Apple will unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on Monday. The first iOS 18 beta will likely be made available to Apple Developer Program members immediately after the keynote, and the update should be widely released in September.

Article Link: iOS 18 Will Extend Dark Mode to Home Screen, Sources Say

Making the Home Screen significantly darker needs to be optional once dark mode is selected. I want dark mode in system apps but definitely not on my Home Screen.

 

[NMBob]

I still don’t understand how this is going to work without developers submitting a load of new app icons. And you just know there will be one that doesn’t.

AI will be used to figure it out on the fly. You know bunches of AI stuff is coming, right?

 

[contacos]

I hope they remove the ugly shadow on the app labels again. Reason I can’t use a light background cuz it looks like 💩

 

[Atog]

Very nice..anyway onto a next one.

 

[xmarcuswildx]

Just allow a god damn theme system? Christ apple you’re so out of touch.

How is tinting my icons not going to look like hot garbage? It’s like changing the color mode that makes things look like garbage. (For normal users, I understand these color modes see important for folks).

Do dev’s have to build a light/dark icon? Or will my icons change on themselves into looking silly.

Apple always half assing things that way they can sell phones for iOS 19.

 

[coolfactor]

Not sure why an API would be needed to manage an icon. It's an image. Similar to resolution images (eg. @2x), iOS could simply check for the presence of an "@Dark" image in the app package, right?

 

[coolfactor]

Just allow a god damn theme system? Christ apple you’re so out of touch.

How is tinting my icons not going to look like hot garbage? It’s like changing the color mode that makes things look like garbage. (For normal users, I understand these color modes see important for folks).

Do dev’s have to build a light/dark icon? Or will my icons change on themselves into looking silly.

Apple always half assing things that way they can sell phones for iOS 19.

Read the article. Stock apps wil be supported initially, but over time 3rd apps will have a way to provide a dark-mode icon.

Are you good now?

 

[coolfactor]

I think Apple’s plan is to use AI to select the background of an app’s icon and change it. Although it would be easier if Apple officially allowed us to change app icons…

Wasn't there an earlier report that it will be possible to change app icons?

 

[bigjnyc]

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

This makes more sense to me than Apple just letting you recolor icons (as cool as that sounded)

The devs would have to supply light and dark variants of their icons ensuring brand colors are respected

 

[QuarterSwede]

This makes more sense to me than Apple just letting you recolor icons (as cool as that sounded)

The devs would have to supply light and dark variants of their icons ensuring brand colors are respected

More than likely. There may be an AI element to it where developers can allow the system to recolor without having to do anything manually, that would be very Apple like.

 

[TheMountainLife]

I'm fully expecting this "feature" to not be day one and will be released 18.1 - 18.2

 

[Alp3r]

That’s awesome

I use dark mode for every one of my apps (that allow dark mode)

There still are a few large companies that for whatever reason don’t support dark mode - Amazon (store app) and Uber Eats even though the regular Uber (ride share app) does support dark mode

Then Apple needs to have that Samsung feature where it can “force” dark mode into apps and it looks actually official and not some weird invert.

 

[Populus]

I'm fully expecting this "feature" to not be day one and will be released 18.1 - 18.2

To me, it looks like a lot of features aren’t going to be present on launch day. If leaks are accurate, this is going to be the biggest release in Apple’s history.

 

[Seanm87]

I can see how this is going to happen. Apples apps will have it and a few 3rd party devs and then no others and it will be an inconsistent mess.

Anything from Meta will either not update it or take about 3 years.

 

[shaun3000]

That’s nice. Now bring back the option to have dark mode dim my wallpaper. I had to resort to multiple home screens and a janky automation that sometimes changes it automatically.

 

[n-evo]

Don't the included wallpapers respond to dark mode already? Not sure what's new here - unless it does something with the icons?

That’s exactly what the article states.

 

[Reason077]

I’m a huge dark mode fan, but I’m not sure I see the need for this.

App icons already look great on my favourite desktop background: solid black.

 

[GtrDude]

Gee...that only took them 5 years.
We're treated so well by apple.

 

[PCMA]

When will the innovation stop?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I wonder how many of these leaked features are just Apple trying to flush out the leakers in the company.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Then Apple needs to have that Samsung feature where it can “force” dark mode into apps and it looks actually official and not some weird invert.

‘Override force dark’ has actually been a feature that’s been available to be enabled from within the Android developer settings for a while now so it’s not Samsung exclusive anymore - I have a Pixel 7 Pro that I use to take a lot of my pictures and have been able to use the ‘force override dark’ feature since I bought the phone

It still only works with some apps (despite it’s intended purpose) and I actually just Googled the info on ‘force override dark’ and came across this article from April that says that all apps might soon allow you to force override dark in the new version of Android:

The final darkening: Android might soon let you force dark mode onto all apps

No app can be left undarkened.

mashable.com

That is definitely awesome and I hope that Apple incorporates a similar feature in a future iOS (if it’s even possible)

 

[Gathomblipoob]

This first beta is going to be a super bug fest. Can’t wait

i look forward to pulling the rest of what's left of my hair out.

 

[noannualfee]

Life won’t be complete until Chase freakin brings dark mode to their blinding banking app.