Google is reportedly testing a dark mode for its desktop web search site, following a trend of introducing darker user interfaces across its mobile apps.
Apple introduced Dark Mode in macOS Mojave and iOS 13, and support for the system-wide option is now a staple feature of most third-party apps on both mobile and desktop.
For example, Google has added belated support for Dark Mode to its Gmail and Search apps, but it looks like Google for desktop web could be on its way, too.
According to 9to5Google, the tech giant is performing A/B testing of a dark interface for desktop-based browser searches for a random selection of users.
Instead of the traditional plain white background, users are seeing a dark grey color on the Google search page, with results appearing in lighter text. Black text is now gray, while a different shade of blue is being used for page names/links.
Other affected page elements include the Google logo altered to match the background, and the search filters like Images and News, which are now blue.
It's not clear how long Google plans to test the feature before rolling it out to all users, but if it's anything like how long it took to bring Dark Mode to Gmail, it could be a while yet.
In the meantime, users who want to try a web browsing experience that's easier on the eyes should check out the browser extension Dark Reader, available for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
