For those of us who live on the internet or at least work with computers all day, the idea of being able to avoid all of the light from our screens can definitely evoke the rolliest of eye rolls. It's especially true for people who rely on being on the internet and accessible for work. If you spend your time diving between email, the web, and Slack, your eyes can take a beating, and going into dark mode can be a lifesaver. Luckily, there's now a Slack Dark Mode for mobile users that is changing the game of work chatting apps — but you'll have to be a Slack Beta user to try it.
Dark mode changes the bright white backdrop that many of us spend far too many hours staring at and replaces it with a darker, more soothing options — which could be a big change for Slack's mobile users, especially if you spend a lot of time on the app working (aka swapping work gossip). If you're a bit of a technophobe and you aren't sure what a Beta user is or how to access the new Slack Dark Mode, don't worry — a few simple steps will get you from A to B.
Step numero uno — sign up for Slack's Beta user option. That's easy enough to do via their a form. Once you sign up for Beta, you'll have to wait for your tester status to be approved, but it seems to be a pretty straightforward process.
You can also signup for Beta in the Slack app itself. When you see those classic three little vertical dots in the right hand corner of the screen, tap on them. Then scroll to the bottom of your profile and select "Settings" and then the "Join Beta" option, which should appear at the bottom of the page. Put in the name and the email address that you use for Slack and bam, you'll put on the waiting list to join. Easy, breezy, beautiful — Beta Mode.
If you're already a Beta user — or when you're approved as one — it's just as easy to actually activate the mode. In your Settings, you can toggle the Beta Mode option to "On" — you'll find it right around your Language, Accessibly, And Advanced options.
For a lot of people who spend too much time on their phone, dark modes on different apps can is the easiest way to give their eyes a break. There's already the Twitter Dark Mode and a way to put your MacBook in dark mode, so it makes sense that a Slack version wouldn't be far behind — especially as Slack is such a hub for a lot of workers.
If you're someone who struggles sleeping or finds the bright light coming from your phone and computer all day a little disturbing, little changes can make a big difference. Even though it's probably best to just... not spend 19 hours a day on the internet... that doesn't seem realistic for many of us. So until we can get away with unplugging more and spending some time in the fresh air, dark mode can help. Here's hoping Slack rolls it out to all users soon — but until then, using it as a Beta tester is only a few clicks away.
