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Force Android 10’s Dark Mode On Individual Apps With DarQ

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lifehackerinternational

Android 10’s system-level dark theme is pretty good, but the third-party DarQ app can unlock hidden settings that make it even better. DarQ lets you force apps to use a dark mode if they don’t have it, and you can use DarQ to specify which apps get it, set dark mode timers, and more. Google keeps the app off the Play Store since it plays around with parts of the Android software that are normally off-limits, so you’ll need to install it from the third-party XDA Labs app store instead.

You’ll also need a rooted phone or be willing to install some extra software to use DarQ’s features. If you have a rooted phone, simply install DarQ from XDA Labs and skip down to the “Using DarQ” section below to start using it.

Using DarQ without a root

Those who don’t have root access to their phone—and would prefer not to—can still use DarQ, but we’ll need to run a special ADB script granting DarQ special permissions so it can run as intended. This is actually easier than it sounds. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Install ADB on your computer using this package from XDA.

  2. Connect your Android device to your PC with a USB cable

  3. Download and unzip the DarQ ADB script from the XDA forums.

  4. In the DarQ ADB Script folder, double click the application for your PC’s operating system, then wait for the script to run.

Once you’ve run the ADB script, you can now use DarQ—at least until you reboot or shut down your phone. You’ll need to connect your Android phone to your PC and run the ADB script after each time you reboot your phone.

Using DarQ

Open the DarQ app from your phone’s app screen. The main screen includes a few options for forcing dark mode for all apps:

  • Enable Dark theme: Turn on Android 10’s system-level dark mode

  • Force Dark Theme: Makes all apps run a dark theme, if available.

  • Auto Dark Theme: Your phone will turn on/off dark mode in all apps at sunrise or sunset.

If you’d rather select specific apps to always run dark mode, tap “Enable Apps” then tap the toggle next to each app. DarQ will take care of the rest.

You may need to relaunch apps that are already running if they don’t automatically swap over to dark mode. It’s also possible that some apps will launch faster than DarQ is able to turn on its dark mode; if that happens, try force-closing and relaunching the app again. If you run into any other issues, consult the DarQ FAQ guide on GitHub.

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