Why does dark mode behave differently in different browsers?

why dark mode different browsers
10 November 2024

Different browsers may use various rendering engines to implement their own interfaces. For example, Chrome uses the Blink engine, Firefox uses the Gecko engine, and Safari uses the WebKit engine. This difference in rendering engines results in variations in how dark mode is implemented. Each of these engines may have unique CSS or JavaScript capabilities that provide distinct functionality or implementation.

Additionally, settings and policies regarding private browsing can affect dark mode functionality. Some browsers may decide not to support certain features for security reasons or due to limitations in the available system resources. These policies may vary across different browser versions, leading to functionally different dark mode behaviors.

Another reason could be the operating system type and the settings related to display, which influence how dark mode operates. For instance, there may be differences in dark mode settings in various operating system versions, such as Android or iOS, which may be responsible for different behaviors based on the operating system in use.

In contrast, the design and development approaches of each website or application can also have an impact. It's possible for a developer to implement certain dark mode features specifically for one browser without doing the same for others.

Example of using dark mode in CSS


<style>
  body {
    background-color: white;
    color: black;
  }
  @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
    body {
      background-color: black;
      color: white;
    }
  }
</style>

Explanation line by line:

<style> — The CSS code will reside in this section.


body { background-color: white; color: black; } — This part sets the default style for the body of the page, which is set with a white background and black text.


@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { ... } — This is a media query that detects whether the user prefers dark mode and changes the styles accordingly.


body { background-color: black; color: white; } — The new styles for dark mode apply a black background and white text.


FAQ

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How can I enable dark mode on my site?

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Is it possible for a feature to work in dark mode in Firefox but not in Chrome?

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Can operating system settings affect dark mode functioning?