Everyone loves Instagram, right? It’s a great way to check in on your friends and see what they’ve been getting up to. Maybe you’ll see them out in nature with their four-legged friends.
Maybe it’s snapshots of a stunning breakaway. Maybe it’s a boomerang of the girlies clinking their cocktails. We’ve all seen that one!
And the app is constantly undergoing maintenance and revamps to keep it running at its optimal level so that you can continue enjoying scrolling through an endless list of great images.
One revamp, however, has left many of its users a little baffled as one fateful morning they logged onto the app to see that its background and borders had all turned black.
Now, some users may have had their Insta looking like this for a while since the ‘dark mode’ feature has been around for a while. But for those that didn’t choose it…it was surprising, to say the least.
And not everyone is a fan.
Why has this happened? And can you reverse it if you don’t like it? Let’s find out together.
Why Has Instagram Turned Black?
As I mentioned above, Instagram has recently turned its background black without its users actually having to lift a single finger themselves. So no, you haven’t accidentally pressed a button or changed your settings without realizing it.
This has been done for you.
This is something that typically you could opt in or out of in your own personal settings. So, it’s left a lot of people wondering why this has actually happened.
Well, there’s no way to know for sure. But during the last update, something within the system changed so that your phone’s setting would determine the color that your background should be. And for some people, this was the dark mode.
It will likely have been chosen based on your Instagram ‘theme’ or your system preferences that are set on your personal device.
On your phone settings you can choose either a light or dark mode and Instagram will adhere to that automatically now.
If you’re unsure of your phone’s settings, go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Display & Brightness’ and you should find either the ‘Light’ or ‘Dark’ setting selected.
You can change these settings on your phone and your Instagram background should follow suit.
What Is The Purpose Of Dark Mode?
So, you might also be wondering why dark mode is even a thing. What is its use?
Well, dark mode is an option where you can swap the white background and black text for a black background and white text. This generally is much less of a strain on the eyes than the regular option.
And though there is no substantial evidence to prove it, many believe that it filters out blue light which is known for being harmful and harsh on the human eye. It can help to relieve things such as headaches from overexposure to screen time.
It’s also a much better option for those flicking through their bed at night. Especially if say your partner is asleep. The black background minimizes the illumination on your phone in the dark.
Does Instagram Have A Dark Mode Feature On The App Settings?
As I mentioned earlier, Instagram will have picked your background based on either your device settings or your ‘theme’ on Instagram.
If you are not happy with the new background change, you can also change this on the app itself.
- You’ll want to load up the app and then click on the ‘Menu’ that can be located in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
- Next, you’ll want to click on ‘Settings’
- From there you should be able to locate the ‘Theme’ button
- Clicking on this will lead you to a new menu where you will see three options; Light, Dark, or System Default.
- From here you can choose your preferred background setting.
Have Any Other Updates Been Enabled?
With all this going on you may be wondering if they have added any other new updates that you might not be aware of. And for some users, there are. Let’s take a look at these now.
The main new change is that some users now see posts that appear in full screen.
Instagram has recently changed its layout meaning that posts are slightly bigger in size. Photos will now be displayed at a 9:16 ratio.
Other updates are slowly being released all the time too. For example, the icon is now new and brighter than ever using Instagram’s signature color gradient.
CEO of the app, Adam Mosseri says that these updates have been put in place to make Instagram ‘a bigger part of the home experience, where content is more immersive.’
So who knows what other new updates may be to come? Whatever they are, I am sure that they will have the user’s best interests at heart.
Final Thoughts
Instagram is one of those staple apps that we will all open and flick through in the morning similar to older generations reading the morning paper (see also “Best Instagram Analytics Apps“).
And when you find such familiarity on an app it can be a little disorientating when big changes happen. Especially with no prior warning.
But fear not, if you do not like the new update, it does not have to be a permanent fixture. As you’ve learned in this article, you can easily switch back and forth from light mode to dark mode using either the settings on your device or the settings on the app itself.
It’s important to keep in mind though that the social media world is forever changing and updating. All the apps continue to battle it out for dominance and so will try new things to try and give its users the best overall experience possible.
So try not to get too attached to the way your app runs because who knows what changes will come in the near future.
This is why I started EngageDigital.com, to offer you a behind the scenes look at all of the most popular sites, applications and platforms, from Amazon to Snapchat, Venmo accounts, Instagram, NFTs, to Omegle and Tik Tok.
If you are looking for informative guides about using social media platforms, troubleshooting your devices, gaming, online shopping, and more, I hope to provide all of the answers you need here at EngageDigital.com!
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