Brave places a massive emphasis on privacy, and retains a host of modern features — bookmarking features, integrated downloads manager, and data-syncing capabilities mean that I can use it just like any other full-fledged browser. And to make matters even better, Brave recently received dark mode support. Let’s check out how it works, and then go over all that you need to know about enabling and disabling dark mode in Brave for your iPhone or iPad.
How Does Brave Dark Mode Work
The dark mode functionality in Brave works quite differently to what you would generally expect. For starters, it does not forcibly invert the colors within sites to render them in dark mode. That makes it more akin to a dark theme than a full-fledged dark mode. But Brave will still display sites in dark mode, as long as they feature native support for a darker color scheme. For example, visiting the DuckDuckGo search engine with Brave’s dark mode enabled will render it in dark mode automatically. Don’t expect this to happen everywhere yet. Furthermore, Brave can also mimic the dark mode functionality present in iOS 13 and iPadOS. That means Brave’s dark mode will turn on and off automatically whenever you toggle the system-wide controls. This falls in line with what you get on the Safari. But unlike Safari, which depends on the system color scheme, Brave also has separate appearance switches that let you enable or disable dark mode just for the browser alone. That gives you a ton of flexibility. Aesthetically, Brave’s dark mode is well implemented, and looks fantastic. I hardly found any issues navigating it since the browser intertwines black and gray pixels to highlight important elements perfectly. And when you come across a site that supports dark mode, you are in for a terrific experience. However, Brave’s dark mode will not have a significant impact on the battery lives of iPhones with OLED displays, mainly since most sites do not feature native dark mode support yet. Bummer. But if you really want to surf all sites in dark mode, I recommend using Firefox for iOS, which I will go over briefly later.
Enable or Disable Dark Mode in Brave
Enabling and disabling dark mode in Brave only requires a brief dive into the browser’s Settings panel. Don’t worry. You don’t have to dig in deep. Start by tapping the three-dot icon to the lower-right corner of the Brave app. Tap Settings on the menu that pops up. Finally, tap Appearance within the Display section. You will then come across three separate controls — Automatic, Light, and Dark. The Dark and Light controls let you manage dark mode for Brave directly. Tap Dark to activate dark mode, or tap Light to switch back to the normal color scheme. Alternatively, the Automatic control ties Brave’s dark mode to the system color scheme within iOS 13 and iPadOS. To enable or disable dark mode for your iPhone or iPad (and also for Brave), open the Control Center, long-press the Brightness bar, and then tap the icon labeled Dark Mode. If you have a dark mode schedule set up, Brave will automatically switch between dark and light modes along with the operating system. Once again, don’t expect a complete dark mode experience while using Brave. Most sites don’t sport a native dark color scheme.
Switch to Firefox for iOS
Firefox for iOS is not as privacy-oriented as Brave, but it does come pretty close. And it’s also one of the best browsers with full-fledged dark mode support on iOS. It forcibly inverts the colors on sites to achieve a dark mode effect, but is smart enough to keep images intact. Despite the odd issue, it provides a terrific experience, and I strongly recommend that you switch to it if you find the dark mode functionality in Brave to be lacking. Download Firefox for iOS To enable dark mode while surfing in Firefox for iOS, tap the icon with three stacked lines to the lower-right side of the screen, and then tap the switch next to Enable Night Mode. The result is instant. You can also find additional controls within the Firefox Settings panel that you can use to make the browser automatically switch to dark mode when the ambient light levels get too low. Phenomenal. Firefox for iOS also comes with a boatload of other features. Don’t forget to check my guide for the best Firefox tips on iPhone and iPad.
Brave the Dark
With dark mode enabled, Brave gives off vibes of anonymity. It’s just a shame that you won’t get to experience that on all sites. But since dark mode is in vogue right now, more sites should start supporting the functionality sooner rather than later. Next up: Tor takes privacy to another level. Find out how it stacks against Brave.
