The research of the new version of the YouTube mobile client revealed an interesting detail: Google engineers are actively preparing for the introduction of a dark theme in the application. The matching strings were found in the source code of the YouTube APK application version 12.45. Blackout design will make watching videos on YouTube more comfortable for the eyes in the dark. This innovation will be especially appreciated by owners of mobile devices with OLED screens.

The dark theme has long been available to users of the desktop version of YouTube, and now it is preparing for release on mobile devices. Most of all, this innovation will be appreciated by owners of OLED-smartphones, where the black image does not require electricity consumption, and therefore saves battery power.

As can be seen in the screenshots, the dark theme is still in development. Part of the text and some icons are completely invisible on a black background, including the name of the video. Some elements, such as the automatic playback switch, are, by contrast, too bright or too dark compared to other controls. Already, the switch to a dark theme is available in the settings for developers, and in the future will appear in the user’s version.