In this tutorial, we show you how to use both dark and light backgrounds in the Notes app on iPhone and iPad. We’ve also included a handy option to permanently keep the Notes app in Dark Mode, even if your iPhone is in Light Mode.
For many people, Dark Mode is a handy feature that makes it comfortable to view the screen. Instead of all that brightness, you could have your device and the apps carry a soothing, dark appearance.
Plenty of apps offer built-in options to enable or disable Dark Mode, giving you a choice to use it or not. On the other hand, many apps just follow your system’s default appearance setting. That is, if your iPhone is in Dark Mode, the app will also be in that mode. Notes app kind of offers both options, so you can use it the way you are most comfortable.
Put your iPhone or iPad in Dark Mode
When you enable Dark Mode on your iOS device, the Notes app inculcates that.
- Open the Settings app and select Display & Brightness.
- Select Dark under the Appearance section.
Now, open the Notes app to use it in Dark Mode.
For more on setting up a Dark Mode schedule or turning on the feature from Control Center, check out our full tutorial on enabling Dark Mode on iPhone and iPad.
Use the Notes app in Light Mode even when your iPhone is in Dark Mode
Once your device is set to Dark Mode, a new option pops up in the Settings for the Notes app called Note Backgrounds. By default, enabling Dark Mode on your device will enable it for Notes. But you can change that.
- Make sure your iPhone or iPad is in Dark Mode.
- Now, open the Settings app and tap Apps > Notes.
- Tap Note Backgrounds. Remember, this option will only appear when your device is set to Dark.
- Select Light to disable Dark Mode for Notes, even though your device is in Dark Mode.
Use a light background for individual notes when your iPhone is in Dark Mode
- Make sure your iOS device is in Dark Mode and Dark is selected in Settings > Apps > Notes > Note Backgrounds.
- Open the Notes app and select the note whose background you want to change.
- Tap the three dots icon on the top right and choose Use Light Background. Just like the above option in Settings, this one will only appear when you have Dark Mode enabled on your device.
You’ll then see the background for that note as white, while the remaining notes and the app itself have a dark appearance. You can change additional notes to use the light background.
Now, you might be wondering if you have to do this for those same notes every time you disable and then re-enable Dark Mode. The answer is no. Notes you change to use the light background will continue to use it if you turn Dark Mode off and then back on again on your device.
How to permanently keep the Notes app in Dark Mode
The Notes app uses Dark and Light Modes based on your system setting. Thus, if you switch to Light Mode, it reflects in the Notes app. But thanks to Per-App Settings, you can force an individual iPhone app, like Notes, to always have a dark appearance. This isn’t exactly Dark Mode, but rather Smart Invert, which reverses the colors of the display, except for images, media, etc.
Smart Invert is fine for text and images in the Notes app. But if you draw with white ink, Smart Invert may invert the white drawing to look black, which may not be visible on an already black background. With that being said, you can try this feature out and see if it suits your needs or not.
Follow these steps to permanently keep your iOS Notes app in Dark Mode.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad and tap Accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap Per-App Settings.
- Tap Add App and then tap Notes from the list.
- Tap Notes once again.
- Tap Smart Invert and choose On.
Now, go to the Notes app, and you’ll see that it has a dark appearance even when your iPhone is in Light Mode.
To delete this rule, go to Settings > Accessibility > Per-App Settings. From here, swipe left on the Notes app and delete it.
More on Notes: