How to flip on Dark Mode in Twitterrific

Twitterrific Dark Mode teaserLike many third-party apps, Twitterrific for iPhone, iPad and Mac support interface theming. As of December 2017, the iOS edition has supported a Dark Mode-like theme that developer The Iconfactory says was specifically designed for OLED devices like iPhone X. With Twitterrific Dark Mode, your timeline blends seamlessly into the device to create a stunning reading experience. Here’s how to flip on Twitterific Dark Mode in both the iOS and macOS apps.

We’ve been discussing dark interfaces extensively since Apple introduced Dark Mode on macOS Mojave in June 2018. And with last November’s release of iPhone X, Apple’s first OLED phone, darkened user interfaces are taking over, and here’s why.

Dark Mode and battery life

User interfaces sporting predominantly black or darkened elements save battery power on OLED devices like iPhone X over devices that use the more ubiquitous LCD technology.

The reason: OLED’s lack of backlights.

A banner announcing available of the new Twitterrific Dark Mode in the iPhone and iPad app

Liquid crystals in an LCD display do not emit light directly. Instead, they require a power-hungry backlight designed to illuminate the pixel array. On the more advanced screens based on the superior OLED display technology, the pixels light up on their own, individually.

TUTORIAL: How to enable Dark Mode on macOS Mojave

Thanks to this inherent characteristic of OLED technology, black pixels do not consume power at all. In other words, a user interface with predominantly black elements will consume less power on an OLED-based display than on one based on LCD technology.

Here’s how to flip on Dark Mode in Twitterrific’s iOS and macOS apps.

How to enable Twitterrific Dark Mode

Twitterrific’s iOS and macOS apps support theming.

At the time of this writing, the apps were shipping with three user interface themes: the default Light look, in addition to the Dark and Black themes. Here’s how to switch on Twitterrific Dark Mode and make the most of your iPhone X’s gorgeous OLED display in Twitterrific.

iPhone and iPad

1) Open Twitterrific on your iPhone or iPad.

2) Tap your avatar in the upper-left corner to slide the menu into view.

3) Tap the Appearance Prefs icon located at the bottom center of the panel.

4) Tap the Dark theme button then select Black from the popup menu.

Twitterrific Dark Mode: theme selection

You’ll see the results in real time on your desktop without having to close the settings window (you can also adjust your font, avatar, line spacing and in-app brightness). Switching to the Black enables greater contrast and clarity throughout the app.

TIP: To manually switch between Light and Black theme on the fly, just swipe horizontally across your timeline in Twitterrific with two fingers. You can also tell the app to switch to the right theme based on your current time and location.

Twitterrific Dark Mode also offers a handy Auto Day/Night option based on your location and time

You can do so by tapping the Auto Day/Night option, below theme selection. The app will now automatically switch to the Dark theme at dusk at your location. The app will use Dark theme until dawn the next day, when it’ll automatically switch back to the Light theme.

As much as I love Twitterrific’s Light theme, it gets bright when it’s dark out. Therefore, I make sure to set the app to automatically change themes at night. If you bypass this feature by manually switching themes, the setting will be overridden the next time you launch the app.

Mac

1) Open Twitterrific on your Mac computer.

2) Choose Preferences from the Twitterrific menu or press Command,.

3) Click the Appearance tab.

4) Click the popup menu next to Timeline theme, then choose Black.

Enabling Twitterrific Dark Mode on the Mac

As a reminder, you can switch between Light, Dark and Black theme at any time, on the fly, simply by venturing into Twitterrific’s preferences.

Twitterrific Dark Mode comparison on the Mac

Twitterrific themes, from left to right: Light, Dark and Black.

And that’s all there’s to it, really!

Dark theme or pure black theme?

As mentioned, Twitterrific offers a darker look sporting dark gray elements for that subdued appearance, as well as a pure black theme that puts emphasis on black elements so that profile images, attachments and other media pop.

In December 2017, Twitterrific’s revised dark look superseded the previous dark theme.

Dark Mode in macOS Mojave

Apple’s implemented Dark Mode for the first time in its desktop operating system with macOS Mojave, available system-wide and within stock apps, like Mail, Photos and Messages.

Dark Mode and the Finder's Gallery view on macOS Mojave

Dark Mode and the Finder’s new Gallery View on macOS Mojave

In addition, the firm’s provided developers with a Dark Mode API so they can add support for Mojave’s Dark Mode to their apps (iMazing was the first app to take advantage of it).

On Mojave, you can also turn on Dark Mode for email messages in Mail.

Dark Mode in iOS

iOS has no such thing as a system-wide dark interface as of yet, but rumors are suggesting that Dark Mode could become available on iPhone and iPad with the launch of iOS 13 or iOS 14 next year or in 2020, respectively.

App Store listicle of apps providing black or dark theme

As evidenced by the screenshot above, Apple curates a list of third-party iOS apps that come with a custom black or dark theme. Titled “Does This App Come in Black?”, this handy list is viewable on the web and App Store.

About Twitterrific

Twitterrific is one of the best Twitter alternatives for those who miss Twitter’s Mac app or wish that the micro-blogging startup didn’t severely limit third-party clients with API changes.

Twitterrific for iOS is a freemium download from App Store with optional IAP upgrades available to unlock advanced features such as ad removal and more.

Twitterrific teaser

Twitterrific for macOS is a $7.99 download from Mac App Store.

As mentioned, other popular third-party apps may provide their own option for turning on a darkened interface. iDownloadBlog has published many Dark Mode-related articles that cover using Dark Mode in apps like Wikipedia, Bear, iMazing, Apollo, Ooutlook and YouTube.

Need help? Ask iDB!

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