Apps

How to experience ‘Dark Mode’ in Google Chrome

Here’s a simple guide

Published

March 7, 2019

Daniel Morial

Dark mode is not new, but it’s becoming really popular. With more people appreciating how easy it is to the eyes with a dark background, we get flooded with questions asking how to activate this mode. Facebook recently rolled out its dark mode feature for its popular Messenger app, which triggered the curiosity of clueless users.

Another well-known desktop application will soon have its official dark mode: Google Chrome. There’s no exact release date yet for the browser’s upcoming feature, but there are ways to experience it now. If you use Chrome, you might find these tips very useful.

Apply “Just Black” theme

There are a lot of black or dark themes on the Chrome Web Store. Even before dark mode was a thing, black themes were already available for Chrome, at least for its desktop version. Although, not all dark themes are created equal. There are some that aren’t dark enough and some are too complicated.

Just Black theme | Image credit: Google

Thankfully, there’s no need to dig inside the Themes section of the Web Store because Google has its own dark theme called Just Black. The theme is available to download for free and it’s one of the 14 official themes made by Google’s Chrome team.

Like other themes available in the Web Store, the Just Black theme skins the surface of the browser including the title bar, start page, and tabs. What’s not darkened are the drop-down menus and the settings panel. If you want a deeper dark mode, check out the next option.

Try out Google Canary

In order to try out the official dark mode that’ll come to Chrome in the coming months, you’ll have to be adventurous and “get on the bleeding edge of the web.” I’m not talking about Chrome Beta or Chrome Dev; the official dark mode is in such an early stage that you’ll have to download Chrome Canary. This version of Chrome is experimental, but it’s usable.

Chrome Canary 74 in dark mode | GadgetMatch

Canary’s dark mode is dynamic and it adjusts accordingly to your operating system’s setting. Both Windows and macOS have their respective dark options, so you’ll have to turn them on in order to activate Canary’s dark mode.

As mentioned, the official dark mode of Canary goes deeper, which means even the settings panel and menus are darkened. It’s slightly different from the Just Black theme and is more similar to the dark mode of Android Pie and YouTube. The official dark mode has gray tones with blue highlights.

Chrome Canary can be very unstable, but it gives you an early look at the upcoming dark mode for Google’s well-loved browser.

Go incognito

One of the earliest and easiest tricks to enjoying a dark-themed Chrome is to hit Ctrl+Shift+N or select “New incognito window” from the browser’s menu. Incognito mode has been around for years and it saves us a trip to the delete button in the browser’s History section. 😉

If you’re using the default theme of Chrome, the instant dark theme of incognito also helps in distinguishing which of your Chrome windows is not recording your visits.

Bonus: Dark mode for all websites

Even if your theme is now dark, it doesn’t mean that the websites you’ll visit will darken as well. Most websites today have a plain white background (like ours) which means it’ll contrast with your dark theme. If you prefer to make the websites dark as well, there’s an extension for that.

The extension is aptly called Dark Mode and it’s free on the Chrome Web Store. It adds a toggle beside the browser’s omnibar. It works on most websites, but it’s not perfect in some cases. Still, it helps reduce eye strain when you’re browsing a website in the dark.

Apps

WhatsApp will introduce usernames to hide your phone number

Hide your number from others.

Published

June 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.

Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.

Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.

To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.

As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.

The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.

Apps

HONOR, Xiaomi are working on their own Privacy Displays

Samsung’s Privacy Display is apparently very popular

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Normally, a smartphone brand’s blatant copying of another brand’s feature is not a good practice. Today, however, there is a new feature that we wish other brands would copy: Samsung’s Privacy Display. Thankfully, some brands, like HONOR, have finally gotten the message and are working on version of the feature.

As reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, HONOR is reportedly working on a privacy screen for its smartphones. Likewise, Xiaomi is working on the same thing, potentially launching the feature for the Xiaomi 18 Pro.

For the uninitiated, the Samsung Privacy Display is a built-in feature that blocks visibility of the screen at certain angles. If you’re not looking at the screen from the front, all you’ll see is a black void. It’s a built-in version of those protective screens that you can buy separately. Besides adding a nice layer of protection against scratches, it’s also meant to prevent snooping from your shoulder.

Samsung’s take was widely acclaimed for being insanely useful. When it arrives, this feature will be a godsend to more brands. Even better, users will no longer need to rely on third-party screen just to enjoy the privacy.

That said, there’s still no indication as to when these features will arrive on either HONOR or Xiaomi.

Apps

Meta is reportedly experimenting on a gambling app

Users can spend virtual points on Arena.

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Meta does not have the most stellar of reputations. Despite offering the world’s most popular social media platforms, the company, through its various experiments throughout the years, continuously proves that it has other priorities than just providing the best for its users. Today, another reported experiment wants to take Meta to a new market that its users might fall into: the prediction market.

If you haven’t heard of the prediction market, consider yourself lucky. These apps, such as Kalshi, are basically just gambling platforms without the glitz of playing cards or the rigor of the stock market. Users gamble on mundane circumstances like the weather and more serious ones like war.

Today, as reported by The New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly asking Meta to develop a prediction app of its own. Interestingly, the experimental app, supposedly called Arena, will use virtual points, rather than real money. However, Meta has not ruled out real money — and hence, real gambling — in the future.

Meta is entering the industry at an extremely volatile time. The world is starting to crack down on prediction markets. Some users, for example, have been accused of using insider information to get easy wins on these platforms. Some markets have also accused these platforms of subverting anti-gambling laws.