Android 15/16 "make all apps dark" setting?

hemlockiv

It looks like the Android source code from A15 QPR2 includes a settings toggle "Make all apps dark," which forces dark mode onto apps don't have it (but doesn't invert colors for apps that do). I'm a little surprised this hasn't appeared in GrapheneOS yet. Should we expect to see it in the near future?

hemlockiv

Looks like that's the "Expanded Dark Mode" I now see in Settings. It works great! ...on the main profile. It doesn't seem to get applied to apps in the Work Profile or Private Space, though. (To test this, install an app with no built in dark theme, like Venmo, to both the main profile and private space. Turn on expanded dark mode, then launch both apps. You'll see one is dark and the other isn't.)

Any chance that can be fixed?

Novalissoide

hemlockiv an easier way is opening stock GrapheneOS Calculator app, its main screen reacts instantly on toggling the Expanded Dark feature.

Novalissoide

hemlockiv And here's a workaround;

https://github.com/sdex/ActivityManager/releases

Install in private space, open from the space and scroll to 'Settings', tap it. Search for 'dark'.
That entry will directly open dark theme options for private space .
Just tested it and yes, it darkens all apps opened from private space, not sure about it lasting between reboots though. Will test that

Update: Tested rebooting and the setting stands! So you only need to do this once, until you want to change it back.

calpurtmun

Novalissoide Wow I didn't even know this setting existed! Very nice. Interesting that it also changes the status bar icons and font on the home screen dark. Not sure if that should happen.

nandohyphen1

Novalissoide You are a genius! 😄 This worked perfectly for expanded dark theme in the private space. Thanks!

Novalissoide

nandohyphen1 This app is my guilty pleasure, and was a cure for Rooting Withdrawal effects, especially in the beginning of my GrapheneOS use.

Mea culpa, it probably is possible to mess things up, it starts things not intended to be started this way, enters settings pages left behind when the OS development makes them inaccessible from the normal UI. Often they are just redundant, left there since they just do the same things that the modern UI does. In a few cases, they actually contain useful features not implemented in the new system, say, the option to enable clock seconds.

Btw, this is the only way I've been able to set 'Allow Sensors permission to app by default' to OFF in Private Space. After this my Private space got as snappy as Owner.

Novalissoide

calpurtmun I could not reproduce this. Stock launcher?

calpurtmun

Novalissoide Yes, stock launcher. The dark status icons are a bit harder to read with my wallpaper.

hemlockiv

Novalissoide omg incredible, thank you! I actually had that app already and even had it installed in Private Space, but it hadn't occurred to me to try to access Private Space's Settings app with it!

I also used it to disable default sensors just now; I didn't realize those settings didn't apply across work/private profiles either. (There's not a way to maas-revoke sensor permission from currently installed apps, is there?) I wonder what other main-user Settings settings don't get applied to private/work apps....

Novalissoide

calpurtmun dark status icons

Mine's the same as before. 😟
Weird

nandohyphen1

calpurtmun The dark status icons are a bit harder to read with my wallpaper.

Same here. I don't like it. When Expanded dark theme is on the status icons are dark. I've had to disable expanded dark theme for now until I find a fix for it.

Novalissoide

nandohyphen1 now I see it, my all black one didn't trigger the effect.
A simple workaround is setting a wallpaper that has a slight shade at the top, it doesn't have to be very dark for the icons to flip into being white again, and it only need that shade at the area where the icons are, the rest of the albeito gets ignored.

Novalissoide

hemlockiv those settings didn't apply across work/private profiles

I also just grasped this. And another insight from today is the 'plus'-icon in the private space drawer that makes it super-easy to transfer files from Owner into the Private space.