The redesign of Facebook Messenger has been in the works for a very long time. The official rollout (for real this time) started just a few days ago, and users' opinions vary ever so much. I like the new interface personally, but that's just me. If you remember, Facebook also showed off a dark mode a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, the dark mode is not yet final, so it didn't make it to the redesign. The good news is we have found a way to enable it unofficially.
Apparently, the latest beta version of the app includes dark mode, but it is not enabled just yet. User @VincentJoshuaET in our Telegram group found a way to enable it with root. Without any further ado, let's get into it. Keep in mind that you should already have Magisk (or any other rooting solution) in order to follow the steps outlined below.
- First of all, head to this link of APKMirror to download and install the latest beta of Facebook Messenger
- After making sure that you're rooted and have the latest beta version of Messenger, you need to download a terminal application for your device. I recommend using Termux
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Open Termux and type su and hit enter. It should ask for superuser rights, which you should grant
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Now that you're superuser, type am start -n "com.facebook.orca/com.facebook.abtest.gkprefs.GkSettingsListActivity" and hit enter. The screen below should appear
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Tap on 'Search Gatekeepers' and type in 'dark'. A couple of results should appear. Tap on every one of them which says 'NO' to enable them. All of the results should say 'YES' when you're done
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Now close the application and the terminal and open Facebook Messenger. Tap on your profile picture at the top left corner. Scroll down a bit and you should see an option to activate the dark mode. You might want to force close the app a couple of times if you don't see the option.
I was able to enable the dark mode on the first try after following the instructions, but your mileage may vary. You can also enroll in the Messenger beta program via the Play Store listing if you don't want to sideload the APK, but I was unable to do so. We hope the dark mode in Facebook Messenger officially rolls out in the next few weeks.