Android 11 adds new custom timing dark theme feature (Updated)

Update: March 3, 2020 at 4:21 p.m. ET: It looks like we don’t have to wait until Android 11 comes out to use dark mode scheduling. Google just released the second Pixel Feature Drop which allows Pixel users to schedule their dark theme, albeit with a big limitation.

The March 2020 Feature Drop allows Pixel users to automatically turn on or off dark mode based on the local sunrise and sunset times. That means you can use light mode when the sun is out and dark mode when it’s time for bed, without having to switch it on or off manually. In the Android 11 developer preview, Pixels can actually schedule dark mode to turn on or off at a specific time.

So, we’ll still have to wait for exact dark mode scheduling to arrive with Android 11, but at least we’re getting a taste of it now.

Original article: February 19, 2020 at 4:35 p.m. ET: Android 10 gave us the long-awaited system-wide dark theme, which pleased many users who prefer to use this option. For the newly launched Android 11 Developer Preview, Google’s team had added a small, but still highly useful feature to the theme.

The Android 11 dark theme option now gives you a way to automatically enable it based on the time of day. It’s a feature that Google hinted a few months ago would be added in Android 11, and that has turned out to be the case.

How to enable Android 11 dark theme schedule modes

1. First, long press on the Dark theme icon when you bring down the Quick Settings selections on top of the display.
2. You should see the three scheduling options show up: “None”, “Turns on from sunset to sunrise”, and “Turns on at custom time”.
3. The first two options are self-explanatory, but if you tap on “Turns on at custom time” selection you will then be given the option to select when you want the Android 11 dark theme to be turned on.

This should be a nice new feature for people who liked the dark theme in Android 10 but just want it to be enabled at night. And that’s it! Stay tuned to Android Authority as we cover more new features from Android 11 Developer Preview.