Did Your Facebook Dark Mode Disappear? You're Not Alone

Although it might not seem like the end of the world, there has been plenty of panic in recent days over the seeming disappearance of Facebook's Dark Mode.

The color scheme setting, which is available on both desktop and mobile, replaces the social network's default white interface with black and shades of gray.

But now, some users have been reporting having trouble accessing this setting. What gives? Keep scrolling as we investigate.

Some, but not all, Facebook users who have opted for Dark Mode are currently having trouble accessing it on their Android and iOS devices as of May 2022.

"There hasn't been an explanation from Meta as to why it's decided to switch off the feature for some, nor is there a reason regardless to do it, wrote Tech Radar reporter Daryl Baxter. "It's a useful feature, and it won't be a strain on the company or the apps it offers, so the deactivation is a baffling decision," he continued.

Last May, many Facebook users also had issues accessing Dark Mode. However, that semi-outage seemed to have stemmed from new update called 320.0.0.36.122. This time around, it's unclear what happened.

Unfortunately, the fix for restoring Dark Mode to Facebook on an iOS device is not super straightforward. 

First, you should uninstall Facebook and reinstall it from the App Store. 

If that doesn't restore Dark Mode, you should force quit the app by swiping up to exit it, and then sliding your finger up slightly from the bottom of the screen to open all of your open apps. Once you see your open apps, swipe up on Facebook to quit it. 

Then, go into your phone settings and scroll down to the app section. When you find Facebook, select it and turn on the settings labeled "Upload HD Video" and "Upload HD Photos". As strange as it may seem, changing those settings seems to restore user's access to Facebook Dark Mode. That fix may be somewhat lengthy, but for some users, it couldn't come soon enough. 

The absence of Dark Mode has left some regular Facebook users totally distraught.

"Dark mode has vanished from the iOS Facebook app. My eyes … MY EYES!" one user wrote on Twitter.

"Did anybody else on Android have Dark Mode just disappear on Facebook?" another added. "I just opened my Facebook app and got blinded by the white layout, went into settings and Dark Mode seems to have disappeared in the Facebook App settings."

Although some Facebook users may not have known that the feature existed, for others, it has become an essential part of using the app without retaining permanent eye damage. Because Facebook has not issued a a statement or provided a clear timeline on when the issue will be permanently resolved, it seems the best solution right now might be for folks to avoid the social media platform until it is fixed.