With iOS 12, Apple has gone out of its way to revamp iBooks. The changes are so intense that even the name of the app has changed to "Books". And design-wise, the Books app is now aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. The updated tabs - Reading Now, Library, Book Store and Search - really help keep things simple and straightforward. But is that all?
ContentsSo how does it work?Dark Mode in actionDark Mode while readingIf Dark Mode is stuckEasier on the eyes
Absolutely not. If you were rivaling a dark mode, then it's finally here. Granted, previous iterations of iBooks had the feature to switch to a dark theme while reading, but Books has gone the full distance and implemented a similar feature to work across the app. But it works a little weirdly, almost like it has a mind of its own. Let's see why.
If you're familiar with the Auto-Night theme from older iterations of iBooks, this new dark mode works pretty much the same way. Walk into a dimly lit room (it doesn't have to be pitch black) and the app immediately switches to a dark theme. Move back to a brighter location, and it reverts to the default. The feature works smoothly, thanks to your iPhone or iPad's ambient light sensor.
However, this dark theme cannot be turned on or off at will, which is quite strange. While you can activate it even in a well-lit area by covering your iPhone or iPad's light sensors, it immediately turns back on when uncovered. This can be annoying if you prefer dark mode to stay on by default.
And at night you have to turn on your lights, or at least move to your night lamp if you want to go back to the default theme. Again, not practical if you don't like dark mode. Apple must provide a toggle to manually enable or disable it. For now, it works automatically.
Regardless of its automatic behavior, Books' new dark mode works just fine. The entire screen dims completely in a low-light environment, but the essential elements are clearly visible. The book covers are rendered crisp against the dark background without any weird artifacts, which means Apple has worked without resorting to a cheap color inversion scheme.
Also, titles and other relevant information are displayed in pure white, but not bright enough to be dazzling in the dark. Other elements, such as menu icons, play percentages, inactive tab, etc., are presented in a shade of gray, preventing them from taking center stage while still “being there” when you have them. need.
Dark mode also works seamlessly across all app tabs. The bookstore, in particular, looks fantastic once launched, where you can search for hours late into the night without straining your eyes.
However, the verification screen that appears whenever you choose to download an e-book does not look affected at all and contrasts sharply against the dark background. Fix it, Apple!
When it comes to reading your eBooks, the Books app sports the Auto-Night theme that was introduced several iterations of iBooks ago. When reading e-books, it starts automatically in low light conditions and perfectly complements the new dark mode of the main Books user interface.
Fortunately, the Auto-Night theme can be turned on or off at will. Just tap the aA icon in the upper right corner of the screen after opening an eBook, and you can use the toggle next to Auto Night Theme to turn the feature on or off.
Just above the Auto-Night Theme switch, you also have four distinct color swatches to manually change the background of any eBook whenever you want.
Sometimes books can get stuck in dark mode, which means no amount of surrounding light can cause it to revert to the default theme. If so, just force quit the app and then relaunch it to set things right.
Tip: To force quit Books, just double-tap the Home button twice to open the app switcher, then swipe the Books app card up. On iPhone X and newer, you have to swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause briefly in the middle to bring up the app switcher. That's how this new unconventional dark mode works in Books. Kudos to Apple for finally introducing a dark mode that works well throughout the app. However, books should offer more control over how the whole thing works, much like the Auto-Night theme when reading e-books.
Not everyone likes a feature with no opt-out or customization. Hoping that Apple does something about it.
