Google’s Dark Mode Implementation Sucks!

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The average phone usage has risen to terrifyingly new heights. A 3-4 hour screen-on time is considered normal these days. Heavy users take it up to 7-8 hours which tells you the current state of smartphone dependency in our lives. A high screen-on time comes with a lot of challenges as well, eye strain being one of the biggest issues of them all. People have gotten to the point where not looking at their phones is just not possible anymore as a lot of day to day tasks involve, well – looking at your phone. The dark mode is one last saving grace to people who can’t keep their hands off of their phones. Apple implemented the dark mode in its latest IOS update and after years of speculation, Android did it as well. There is however a huge difference between the dark modes of both these platforms. Google one’s suck.

Half assed android dark mode.
Android’s inconsistent dark mode

Apple’s dark mode is all those things that a person could want from dark mode. It’s dark, consistent and there are no bright elements peeking through the dark UI. Google, on the other hand, is a complete attack on senses. It’s inconsistent with light UI elements peeking through all over the place blinding anyone who is using it in a dark environment. Hell, it’s not even fully dark. It’s a half-assed attempt at a dark mode which is worse than the light mode. This is not just a UI issue but rather a Google wide problem. They tend to take consistency as their least of priorities. This is android’s 10th iteration and still, there is sometimes inconsistency between how different apps behave. Only Google could implement swiping from left to right as a back button and open the hamburger menu at the same time and expect it to work.

The problem with google is that they work on a lot of things, launch their half-assed product, get it working well as time passes and then kill the project altogether. Google+, Allo, Hangouts and many other products have fallen prey to this type of work structure. It just shows Google’s inability to commit to a product for the long term. What could this mean for their self-driving car tech (Waymo) is yet to be seen, but if this is anything to go by, it doesn’t look too good.

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