A dark mode malfunction appears to be affecting users of various Samsung Galaxy phones who have updated to One UI 8.5. Galaxy S25 devices and other Galaxy handsets may display lighter blacks or grays in various apps when Dark Mode is enabled. This behavior appears to be a bug that Samsung is aware of and may fix in the future. In the meantime, there are unofficial ways to fix broken dark mode on devices, which should keep users waiting until Samsung releases an official fix.
Why does Google Play and Google Messages dark mode look ugly on One Ui 8.5? pic.twitter.com/sfQf58SL9T
– Firdaus Mustaffa (@mhdfirmus) May 11, 2026
Galaxy phone users have been complaining online on Reddit. The software was initially released on the Galaxy S25 series in Korea, before expanding globally. Samsung has also started rolling out the software update to the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Flip 6, although availability may vary by region. Affected users posted screenshots online showing the faulty dark mode and inconsistent blacks appearing in some apps, as seen in the X post above. Some UI elements may appear in shades of gray mixed with pitch-black elements.
What is causing the dark mode problem
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While Samsung has no official stance on Dark Mode inconsistencies, some affected users describe it as a bug rather than a feature. Samsung may have inadvertently changed dark mode with the One UI 8.5 update. Editor MohamedElngar21 explained that One UI 8.5 creates a conflict between the Material You design and Samsung’s own color palette. Material You is Google’s design language for Android that supports dynamic color themes.
“OneUI 8.5 changed the default color palette and decided to hurt our eyes with this sharp gray coloring,” they wrote, adding that both dark and light modes are affected. Users are more likely to observe dark mode issues given the stark contrast seen in some screenshots posted online. Various apps are affected, including the dialer app and Google apps like Messages.
Redditor just_IT_guy shared a purported screenshot of a conversation with Samsung customer service representatives indicating that Samsung is aware of the issue and will release a fix in a future update. Although this is not an official announcement from Samsung, it does suggest a way to resolve the issue. Affected users can submit similar feedback to Samsung about the dark mode issues, so the company can get an idea of how big (and disruptive) the problem is.
How to Fix Dark Mode in One UI 8.5
In addition to submitting feedback to Samsung, Galaxy phone owners who have experienced gray colors in Dark Mode have two unofficial fixes available. The easiest way to restore Dark Mode to its previous look is to use the Color Palette feature in the Settings app under the Wallpaper & Style menu.
More experienced Android users can use the Shizuku and ColorBlendr apps, as described by MohamedElngar21. The process involves installing these apps from GitHub to fix dark mode coloring issues. ColorBlendr will allow users to choose a color style, including the default One UI 8 Tonal Spot style, which will restore the original dark mode colors.
Once the patch is applied, users can remove Shizuku and ColorBlendr without losing the previously created color style. However, the Redditor warns that using the Color Palette feature in the Settings app after fixing Dark Mode will bring the bug back. In other words, these fixes are only temporary solutions to a problem that Samsung may have introduced.
