Tencent’s super app WeChat has announced on micro-blogging site Weibo that it has partnered with Apple to explore the development of a new dark mode on WeChat’s iOS version. The dark mode will be soon available on the coming WeChat update for better users’ experience, the firm added.
Apple implemented the dark mode with its latest operating system iOS 13 at the 2019’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), a year after bringing the feature to macOS Mojave. When dark mode is on, the entire iOS ecosystem turns black, including apps, and input methods.
On March 4, Apple posted an update on its developer page, saying that “starting from April 30, all iPhone apps submitted to the App Store must be built with the iOS 13 SDK or later.”
While many other applications including Twitter, WhatsApp, Taobao, and NetEase Music have already embraced the dark mode, WeChat has been hesitant to introduce this major change. WeChat’s announcement comes after rumors indicating that the Chinese super app could have been taken down from the App Store if it would not update its platform to dark mode.
WeChat also mentioned that dark mode will be available for Android devices, but didn’t mention a specific release date.
This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China
