What color is the dark theme on YouTube?

When you spend a lot of time looking at screens, the blare of a white background can be an annoyance. So turning on dark mode can help, and it may even save battery. On YouTube, you can enable dark mode on the desktop site and the mobile app for iPhone and Android.

Here's what you need to know to get it done.

How to enable YouTube dark mode on desktop

1. Go to the YouTube website and log in to your account, if needed.

2. Click your profile icon, located in the top-right corner of the screen, and then choose Appearance: Device theme.

3. Select Dark theme. You can also choose Use device theme to have the app match your device's system settings. 

Quick tip: If you prefer the darker look, you can use this browser extension to automatically change the color theme of every site you visit to dark mode. It works with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

How to enable YouTube dark mode on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the YouTube app and log into your account, if needed.

2. Tap your profile icon, located in the top-right corner of the screen.

3. Scroll down and select Settings.

4. On the next page, choose General.

5. On the General page, tap Appearance. 

6. Tap on the Dark theme option, and a checkmark will appear beside it. You can also choose Use device theme to have the app match your device's system settings. 

How to enable YouTube dark mode on Android

If you have dark mode turned on via your Android system settings, then the YouTube app should automatically be dark mode. But you can also turn on dark mode for just the YouTube app from YouTube settings:

1. Open the YouTube app and log in to your account, if necessary.

2. Tap your profile icon, located in the top-right corner of the screen.

3. Scroll down and select Settings.

4. Tap General.

5. Choose Appearance.

6. Select Dark theme. You can also choose Use device theme to have the app match your device's system settings. 

Google is rolling out a dark mode to its YouTube mobile apps. Last year, it added the previously hidden ability to change YouTube's background from white to black to YouTube on desktops and laptops. Dark mode is available now for iOS and is now rolling out to Android devices, XDA Developers reports. 

Here's how to enable it on iOS:

• Launch the YouTube app and tap your account icon in the top-right corner.
  
• Tap Settings.
  
• Tap to toggle on Dark theme.
  

The process is similar for desktops and laptops: Click your account icon in the top-right, click the Dark theme line directly above Settings and then click the toggle switch to turn on Dark theme.

For Android, you will find the Dark theme toggle switch by going to Settings > General. If you don't see it there, check you have the latest update from the Play Store, then try closing and opening the app a few times, as Redditors suggest here. That worked for (at least some of) us.

For both mobile apps and desktop site, YouTube remembers your light or dark preference for future visits.

Now playing: Watch this: How to turn on dark mode for Gmail and Chrome

Originally published on April 14, 2017.
Update, Sept. 5: Added information about the rollout to Android devices.