Dark mode in the app
Your app has its own light and dark palettes, independent of the builder and of this documentation site.
Who decides
Section titled “Who decides”You set the default. Settings → Appearance → Default Mode in the builder: light, dark, or follow the device.
Members can override it if you place the Dark Mode feature. Tapping it toggles the app’s theme, and the choice persists between sessions.
Without that feature, your default is what everyone gets.
Following the device
Section titled “Following the device”Follow the device is usually the right default. Members who have chosen dark system-wide have already told their phone what they want, and an app that ignores it feels careless at night.
Set an explicit light or dark default when your brand depends on it — a community whose identity is a dark palette should not appear light because a member’s phone is.
Set both palettes
Section titled “Set both palettes”The two palettes are edited separately and are not derived from each other. A colour that reads well on white rarely reads well on near-black at the same lightness, which is why the builder asks for both rather than inverting one.
If you brand the light palette heavily and leave the dark one at its defaults, members who switch see something that looks like a different product. Either set both, or set an explicit default mode and do not offer the toggle.
Where to put the toggle
Section titled “Where to put the toggle”The Dark Mode feature is chrome rather than a screen — it does not navigate anywhere, it just toggles.
The side drawer is the usual home, alongside settings and sign-out. It is a reasonable candidate for the upper nav bar if you have the slots and your members switch often.
It is a poor use of a bottom nav slot, where you have eight at most and members expect destinations rather than switches.
Testing it
Section titled “Testing it”The preview honours the app’s Default Mode, so you can check both palettes without a build. Toggle the Dark Mode feature in the preview to see the other one.
Check the screens with the most colour: the feed, the directory, and any screen with your branding on it. Plain text screens tend to look fine in both regardless.
When it does not work
Section titled “When it does not work”| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Members cannot switch | No Dark Mode feature is placed | Place one |
| The app ignores the device | Default Mode is set to explicit light or dark | Set it to follow the device |
| Dark mode looks unstyled | Only the light palette was branded | Set the dark palette |
| The builder is dark and the app is not | They are separate settings | Change Default Mode |
| A member’s choice does not persist | They are running an older build | Rebuild and redistribute |