To enable it, just open the Twitter app on iPhone and tap the Me tab. Tap the Settings icon that looks like a gear and then select Turn on night mode. Yes, Android users, you’ve had this feature for a while so go ahead and gloat. But for iPhone users who are just now able to hop on the night mode bandwagon, we’ve compiled a list of five reasons why you absolutely should.
1. Night Mode Won’t Blind You in the Dark
Twitter’s night mode is absolutely perfect for nighttime reading. You can comfortably scroll through tweets without straining your eyes. Every aspect of the UI has been nicely optimized. You can even go all day long with Twitter in night mode if you choose. I do wish there was a setting to have the app automatically switch to night mode at sunset and automatically turn off at sunrise. Twitter, if you’re reading this, hop to it.
2. Use Twitter in Movie Theaters
As a courtesy to other moviegoers, whenever I’m in a theater and want to check my phone, I invert the colors of my iPhone so most backgrounds are black. This dramatically decreases the brightness coming out of my phone so it’s not distracting to the people around me who have the attention spans to get through the movie. With Twitter’s night mode, I no longer have to do this — at least while on Twitter. Switch it on before entering the movie as a kind gesture to your friends and family. Either that or actually watch the movie you overpaid for.
3. Stay Inconspicuous from Onlookers
Twitter in night mode can protect against onlookers for two reasons. The first is that the dark background attracts less attention than a bright white background. People are less likely to see from a distance specifically what you’re doing on your phone. Second, even though this is a novelty, friends and family who don’t know about the night mode might could see your phone and assume you aren’t on Twitter if it’s turned on. Either way, less having to shield tweets would be a nice outcome.
4. Get Warmed Up to iPhone 7’s (Rumored) Dark Mode
For quite some time now, it’s been churning through the rumor mill that iPhone 7 will feature a dark mode — or better yet, the final release of iOS 10 will include that as a surprise feature. We won’t know until the iPhone 7 debuts, but it sure would be nice to have the UI change system-wide at night. Customers have been requesting a dark mode for years. For now, Twitter’s will have to do, I suppose.
5. Get Shut Down by Your Friends with Android
Sometimes having the discussion of iOS vs. Android is taken more personally than a discussion about politics or religion. People in both camps find any reason they get to shun the folks in the opposing camp. So if you feel like letting your Android friends completely obliterate you since they’ve had Twitter’s dark mode several weeks in advance, here is a dandy opportunity. (Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to mute people in real life?) ALSO READ: Tweetbot 3 vs Twitterrific 5: Which Is the Best Third Party Twitter Client for iOS?