New appearance option makes it a doddle to switch to a darker look

If you’re keeping on top of the new Ubuntu 20.04 features — no worries if you’re not, it’s not stable yet anyway — you’ll be expecting the change featured below.

It seems my recent op-ed on why Ubuntu needs a dark mode toggle was perfectly timed as, alongside some wider Yaru theme changes, developers go to work on adding a simple, user-facing setting for one!

Currently sat in proposed queue for Ubuntu 20.04 dailies (expect it in the regular updates pile soon) is a change that adds a theme switcher to the System Settings > Appearance panel:

The new ‘window colours’ setting

It’s not called “Dark Mode” rather “Window Colours”. This is (arguably) a more descriptive change given that only window colours are affected by the setting (the overall ‘shell’ theme isn’t).

But regardless of title the new setting gives folks a super-duper, easy-peasy way to enable a dark mode on Ubuntu — and that’s awesome.

Additionally, the new Window Colours setting makes it just as easy to switch to a fully ‘light’ look, or mix things up (literally) by sticking with the standard Yaru theme (which pairs some dark elements with some lighter ones) that ships as default.

While this isn’t the most earth shattering of changes it’s one I think is sorely needed (not to mention currently MIA in upstream GNOME Shell).

The only real question I have now is which window colour setting with most people will use — let me know which one you’ll be rocking in the comments section below!