Set Device Dark Mode

Real Device Virtual Device

LambdaTest now allows you to enable or disable dark mode for automation testing as well. This helps developers and testers validate UI behavior across light and dark themes, theme switching without manual intervention, and visual consistency for mobile apps and web applications.

Use Cases

Mobile App Testing

Ensure UI elements render correctly in dark mode
Check text contrast and readability
Verify icon and image visibility in dark backgrounds
Confirm theme consistency across screens

Web Testing

Test CSS media queries for prefers-color-scheme: dark
Validate dark theme implementations in your app
Check browser-level dark mode support
Review responsiveness across both themes

info

This feature works for both Virtual and Real Devices.

Supported Platforms

Platform	Version
iOS	13 and above
Android	11 and above

Enabling Dark Mode via Capabilities

You can enable the dark mode setting through darkMode capability before the session starts. This ensures the device starts in the dark theme without additional steps during test execution.

iOS
Android

{
    "deviceName":"iPhone 16",
    "platformName":"ios",
    "platformVersion":"18",
    "isRealMobile":True,
    "app":"YOUR_APP_URL",
    "darkMode": true
}

{
    "deviceName":"Galaxy S20",
    "platformName":"Android",
    "platformVersion":"10",
    "isRealMobile":True,
    "app":"YOUR_APP_URL",
    "darkMode": true
}

info

You must add the generated APP_URL to the app capability in the config file.
You can generate capabilities for your test requirements with the help of our inbuilt Capabilities Generator tool.For more details, please refer to our guide on Desired Capabilities in Appium.

Enabling Dark Mode via Hooks

To change dark mode settings during test execution, use the hook with the updateDeviceSettings action. The example below demonstrates this using Python.

Real Devices
Virtual Devices

driver.execute_script('lambda_executor: { 
      "action": "updateDeviceSettings", 
      "arguments": { 
        "darkMode" : "on" 
        } 
}')

driver.execute_script('lambdatest_executor: {
      "action": "updateDeviceSettings",
      "arguments": {
        "DarkMode": "true"
       }
}')

tip

Dark mode changes are applied at the system level and may require app restarts for full effect
Some legacy applications may not fully support dark mode theming
Web applications must implement their own dark mode CSS for the setting to take effect beyond browser UI