Quick Answer
How many people use dark mode in 2025?
81.9% of smartphone users use dark mode.
Dark mode is a choice for how you view your computer, tablet, or phone display.
Dark mode is a dark theme, or night mode, that is part of the user interface display settings.
Instead of having bright displays, the darker background is easier on the eyes, and makes it easier to read content.
It’s becoming more popular over white background with black text.
The concept is to reduce the bright light radiating from a display screen, while making sure that you can still read and view information on the screen.
One of the benefits of dark mode is that it prevents the issue of tired, dry, and itching eyes you get from looking at a screen for long periods.
In the following paragraphs, we will be discussing how many people use dark mode in 2025 and other interesting facts about this display theme option.
How Many People Use Dark Mode in 2025?
So, what percentage of users use dark mode?
According to data, 81.9% of people of smartphone users use dark mode.
Another 82.7% of survey respondents claim to use dark mode with the OS.
More data shows that 64.6% of people expect websites to apply dark mode automatically.
The adoption rates for dark mode and are between 55% and 70% among Apple iOS users.
It’s safe to say that the popularity of dark mode is becoming a real thing.
This is because dark themes have benefits, but this mode also has drawbacks that we will talk about in the next few paragraphs.
What Are the Benefits of Using Dark Mode?
When speaking of dark mode vs light mode statistics, it’s important to address why such a high percentage of people are going for dark mode nowadays.
First, we have the benefits that are making it popular.
On AMOLED displays, dark mode reduces battery usage by up to 63%.
Battery usage is a big deal, especially among people who use tablets and smartphones. Who wants to be attached to a plugin all day?
Dark mode is better for people who have visual impairments.
One visual impairment that benefits from dark mode screens includes people with cataracts. People with light sensitivities also seem to like it better.
Dark mode may help reduce eye strain, especially for reading text.
So, if you read a lot of text on your devices, you can use dark mode and see if it helps with eye strain.
Dark mode may aid in cutting back on exposure to blue light.
Blue light exposure can cause eye strain and cause problems with sleeping, especially if you stay on your device right before you go to bed.
While this is true, you can achieve the same effect if you turn the brightness down on your screen as it gets darker outside.
Some things that dark mode may help with include:
- Eye pain or strain.
- Dry eyes.
- Increased migraines or tension headaches.
- Sleep issues, including insomnia.
- Visual disturbances.
More studies are needed to examine the benefits or side effects of using dark mode over long periods.
What Are the Downsides to Dark Mode?
Just like everything has its benefits, dark mode also has its downsides, which we will cover next.
- The darker colors can create an environment of negative feelings associated with depression, sadness, and grief.
- If you use dark mode in bright spaces, it can increase issues with eye strain.
- For people with astigmatism or myopia (nearsightedness), dark mode can cause the halation effect, which is the spreading of light beyond its boundaries. It’s like the effect of driving in the dark for people with astigmatism where they see halos around headlights.
- Dark mode may be linked to lower levels of focus and reading comprehension.
- If you’re using an older device, dark mode will not help battery usage.
There isn’t a simple answer to whether dark mode is better for your eyes or your health.
Are There Other Ways to Improve Device-Related Eye Strain?
Eye strain can happen to anyone who reads a lot, watches a lot of television, uses their smartphone for long periods of time, works all day on their computer, or engages in video games for hours.
So, regarding device-related eye strain, there are some remedies that can help outside switching to dark mode, or along with dark mode.
According to Wired, here are a few ways to beat eye strain.
The 20-20-20 Rule
If you’ve never heard of the 20-20-20 rule, now’s your chance to start using it.
This is where you look away from your display screen (TV, tablet, computer, etc) every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and focus on an object or fixed point that is 20 feet from you.
Change Display Brightness
The thing to do here is to adjust your monitor’s brightness to your surroundings.
If your screen is a source of light in a room, it’s too bright for you to keep your eyes on for long.
If it seems gray, and dull, it’s too dark. In some instances, a glare reduction filter over your screen will help.
Change Monitor Position
Ideally, your monitor should be about 20 to 30 inches from your face and your eyes should be level with the top of the monitor.
If possible, raise or lower your screen accordingly to make the proper adjustments. However, getting your eyes to that level is helpful.
You should be looking somewhat downward at your screen, as you work.
Color Temperature
Most display monitors allow you to manually adjust the color temperature when an auto-setting isn’t working.
Warmer, yellowish temperatures are best for darker rooms, while blueish colors are better in bright rooms.
You can also switch to glasses once or twice a week if you wear contacts to offset issues with eye strain.
Text size and color can also be adjusted to make it easier on your eyes or reading. Plus, lower contrast text and background color can help.
Conclusion
Do you suffer from eye strain, or visual impairment? Do you think that switching to dark mode would help your problems?
After reading about dark mode usage statistics and related ways of resolving eye strain, do you feel more enlightened about it?
