Iโve been running into what seems like a overlooked bug with automatic light/dark mode on Samsung phonesโconfirmed on both my S24+ and now my S26 Ultra.
Settings in use:
Automatic Light/Dark Mode (Sunset to Sunrise)
Sleep Mode manually turned ON at night and OFF in the morning
One UI 8.5 Updated
The issue: At night (after sunset), I manually enable Sleep Mode, which correctly puts the phone into Dark Modeโwhich it is already in per schedule.
In the morning (after sunrise), I turn Sleep Mode OFF. I even get the notification saying Dark Mode should turn on based on the scheduleโbut the phone stays in Dark Mode anyway.
What I think is happening: It seems like when Sleep Mode is activated, it overrides and stores that the phone was in Dark Mode state. So when Sleep Mode is turned off, the system doesnโt properly re-check the scheduled Light/Dark Mode condition (sunrise), and just keeps Dark Mode enabled.
Basically, Sleep Mode may be โlocking inโ Dark Mode instead of handing control back to the scheduled automation.
This breaks the expected behavior of automation and forces manual correction every morningโwhich defeats the purpose of having scheduled Light/Dark Mode in the first place.
Has anyone found a workaround for this? If not, can this be flagged to the dev team for review?
Why not just remove or disable the timed dark/light mode routine and just keep it as part of sleep mode. If you are using a mode for the automation, only one mode can run at a time. If you are using a routine for dark/light mode it may be conflicting with sleep mode. In which case, keep your scheduled routine and remove the parameter to put the phone in dark mode when sleep mode is active. It's redundant anyway.
The two serve slightly different functions and should not be mutually exclusive. Plus, there shouldn't be any conflicts in the first place when both are native system functions. The logic is simple: when sleep mode is off, hand over all dark mode controls to the system, which will usually be on "auto", typically meaning "dark mode off" by the time you wake up. This is made worse by the fact that dark mode is FORCED on you if you use the Sleep mode, regardless of what your system setting is set to, even if you don't have the dark mode control as part of your Sleep mode schedule.
Ok. Enjoy your glitch. The easiest thing to do at least to test, would be to disable the routine and add the parameter to sleep mode or take the parameter out of sleep mode and just run the routine. If the behavior is still the same, put in an error report and let the developers sort it.
I like you you said these "should not be mutually exclusive." And like I acknowledge it a small issue but I think it get overlooked. And I believe you understand what I tried explained as what I think is happening. Basically this is what I think: It sets a variable (Rem Dark Mode = True) when Sleep mode activated. When Sleep Mode is turned off it set Dark Mode On/True. But I think it should be a: IF Dark Mode changed THEN Check Schedule ELSE Set As Previous. Or something like that.
Sorry for the delayed responseโI wanted to test a few things first.
My current workaround is to pull down a couple of times after I notice Dark Mode is active, then manually switch back to Light. After that, the scheduled Dark Mode resumes as expected.
I also tested turning off Dark Mode before activating Sleep Mode. In the morning, when Sleep Mode is turned off, it correctly returns to the Light theme, as per setting when activated.
While this is a minor issue, it would be nice if the OS handled this automatically. I also think the terminology adds confusion: both features are called โmodes,โ but they serve different purposes.
The mode I use to schedule automatic Light/Dark mode (aka theme?) is under Settings โ Display โ Dark Mode Settings โ Turn on as scheduled {Sunset to Sunrise}. This is intended to run continuously according to the scheduled times.
The โother modes,โ found under Settings โ Modes and Routines, are designed for specific situations, such as Sleep, Theater, or Meetings. Temporary use for event or current activity.
There are several hypothetical situations where this could cause unintended behavior. For example, if Dark Mode is scheduled per the preset, I use and I enter Theater Mode while the sun is still up (Dark Mode to be appropriate for the darker environment). But when I exit the theater and Theater Mode, the system reverts to Light Modeโeven though the schedule still calls for Dark Mode, post sunset.
Again, I know this is minor but but little thing can get fixed here and there to improve software and product.
It was mentioned "put in error report and let the developers sort it." Where/ do I do that?
Request to dev team: when exiting a mode, the system could lookup to see if there is a Dark/Light theme schedule and restore it if necessary. Or perhaps: if the theme was changed by a mode, then perform a lookup to see what the scheduled theme should be at exit time.
You would put in an error report by going to the support tab of the members app and tapping the feedback link. Your logs are collected automatically, so it's best to replicate your issue and send the report within 15 minutes of the event. You can attach screen shots.
So happy I found this and appreciate the testing you've done. Same exact issue with s26 ultra. Light mode never comes on. You mentioned sleep routine. Yes, my routine enables dark mode. To the user that said just disable that from the mode actions, fair, but not a solution. People do have different sleep schedules than dark to light. ๐
Will be following this one for any more discussion!
I actually said (or meant), to keep either the routine, or the setting in Sleep mode. Somehow they are interfering with each other. If you want dark mode in sleep mode, either set sleep mode to turn on and off manually (people also have different sleep schedules), so that if dark/light mode is controlled by a routine, the mode you selected will already be on or off. If you are going to keep the setting in sleep mode, then either turn off or change the routine. You do not need the setting in both a mode and routine, especially if they overlap.
