Instagram introduced a dark mode for its app in 2019. The feature arrived in October 2019 for devices running iOS 13 or Android 10, following the operating systems’ new system-wide dark-theme support.
Rather than offering a completely independent theme switch at first, Instagram’s app followed the appearance setting selected on the phone. Its interface changed from a predominantly white background to dark surfaces, making nighttime viewing less glaring and matching the visual trend spreading across major mobile platforms.
The date can be confused with the introduction of dark mode in the operating systems themselves: Apple’s iOS 13 and Google’s Android 10 both debuted system dark modes in September 2019. Instagram’s own app support followed shortly afterward. Availability also depended on the app version and compatible device software, so users did not all receive it simultaneously.