New Facebook Messenger ‘dark mode’ currently being tested in select countries

Hello darkness, my old friend

Glancing at Messenger first thing in the morning can feel a little like being woken up with a flashbang, particularly if your smartphone has an especially bright screen.

However, that problem could soon be a thing of the past, with noted app-teardown expert Jane Manchun Wong revealing on Twitter that the Android version of Facebook's popular messaging application is currently testing its upcoming 'dark mode', as reported by Android Police.

The catch? The test is currently only available to select users in certain countries – neither Facebook nor Wong have indicated which regions have access, though based on TechRadar testing it didn't include the US or Australia at time of writing.

Facebook Messenger is testing Dark Mode in the new UI

previously: https://t.co/vT6WoKikPm pic.twitter.com/A6ETE45BPN

— Jane "not Facebook Employee" Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 5, 2018

According to Wong, users with access to Messenger's new dark mode can find a toggle for the setting within the app's 'Me' section.

Facebook Messenger, seemingly due to prolonged external nagging, has started public testing Dark Mode in certain countries

They have put up a fair warning that Dark Mode isn't everywhere yet so don't complain when some UI burns your eyes off

previously: https://t.co/9fCvbYXS5Z pic.twitter.com/wF3w5hsHfh

— Jane "not Facebook Employee" Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) December 31, 2018

Of course, as the new mode is only in its testing phase, it's far from complete – an in-app 'work in progress' message from Facebook reportedly states that "While we put the finishing touches on dark mode, it won't appear everywhere in Messenger."

The dark mode test comes shortly after a recent minimalistic UI makeover, which saw Messenger reduce its number of tabs and refine some of its clunkier design aspects.

It's unclear when Messenger's dark mode will roll out to more territories, but we'll keep you posted when it does.