14 DAY TRIAL // Apple launched the first preview of iOS 10 for developers earlier this week, and as we’ve already told you, there is evidence that the update is going to bring an eagerly anticipated dark theme.
And now new screenshots that have reached the web today seem to confirm that Apple is indeed working on a dark theme for iOS 10, but this new visual style is just not yet ready, and this is the reason why developers aren’t getting it in this first preview.
The screenshots posted by developer Andrew Wilk show what seems to be an early version of iOS 10 with a dark theme, so it lacks refinements that are expected to be part of the final release. Apple is still believed to be working on this dark theme, so the chances are that it’ll look significantly different than the one you see here when it’s finally ready for the public.
Why a dark theme for the iPhone?
We’ve heard quite a lot of people asking why there’s such a big need for a dark theme on the iPhone.
First of all, it’s because users want something that’s more eye-friendly during the night, and a dark theme just makes sense. Android has themes that allow users to configure the way the operating system looks, but an iPhone that’s not jailbroken does not offer such a possibility, so the only way to get it is for Apple to implement a dark theme in iOS.
Second of all, a dark theme could help pave the way for a major redesign of the iPhone, which, according to people with knowledge of the matter, is expected in 2017. This new iPhone would give up on LCD for OLED screens, and the dark theme would help preserve battery life when this new technology arrives.
There’s a talk online regarding the way Apple would implement a dark theme in iOS. Some sources provided information, which cannot be verified right now, claiming that the dark theme would be offered as an alternative to the default mode, while others argue that Apple could make it default from the very beginning.
Others, however, suggest a different plan: Apple could enable the dark theme during the night automatically, making it dependable on Night Shift, which automatically kicks in based on user settings. While such a plan does make sense at some level, it’s important to keep in mind that everything is still in the rumor stage right now, and nothing should be taken for granted.
