Android dark mode: Open-source app adapts system design to ambient light

Dark mode has been a standard feature of Android since Android 10. Google has expanded the feature in recent years, but dark mode remains limited in terms of activation and deactivation. With the help of an app by computer science student Robin Rentmeister, dark mode adapts to the ambient light conditions.

Adaptive Theme: Auto Dark Mode

By default, dark mode on Android can only be switched on or off manually or at specific times. Nothing more is possible, although it would be quite practical if dark mode automatically adapted to the environment.

This is exactly where the app “Adaptive Theme” comes in, which runs inconspicuously in the background after a one-time installation and setup. The app switches the Android system's design between dark and light mode, depending on how much light the smartphone's ambient light sensor detects. According to the developer, the app does not run permanently in the background but only activates when the device is unlocked. The app requires at least Android 14.

In the app settings, the light sensitivity can be adjusted in stages, and the current ambient brightness is also displayed. Users can also optionally enter a fixed lux value. Furthermore, a period for nighttime can be set during which dark mode remains active – but this is also available in the Android system settings.

Setup: Special

While the open-source app is available in the Play Store and can also be downloaded via GitHub, a little extra effort is required after installation as it requires the “WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS” permission. This permission can be granted either via the additional but quite complex app Shizuku or a specially set up WebADB website directly in the browser. Neither root nor a local ADB installation is required. A PC and a USB-C cable are required for the local ADB variant.

For testing, we chose the comparatively simpler WebADB setup. To use it, you need to activate Developer Options (Instructions) on your smartphone and enable “USB Debugging” within them. The setup process via the app and the web interface is quite easy to understand and follow, but you shouldn't be a complete Android beginner.

The developer points out that the GitHub version is free of trackers; Crashlytics is integrated into the Play Store version.

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(afl)