Dark or light map: the map theme in DriveBattle
A bright map dazzles at night, and a dark one is hard to read in the midday sun. DriveBattle for Android separates the theme of the app from the theme of the map. The map can be dark, light or automatic, and in automatic mode your phone's light sensor decides.
Two settings
Open Settings, General and the group “Appearance”. The row “Appearance” sets the app with “Dark”, “Light” and “System”, which follows the dark mode of Android. The default is dark. The light app has its own palette with darkened accent colours so that text stays readable on white. The row “Map” sets the map with “Dark”, “Light” and “Auto”. The default is “Auto”. The two are independent: a light app with a dark map works just as well as the reverse.
How Auto works
In “Auto” mode the phone measures the ambient brightness. At 10 lux or less the map switches to dark, at 50 lux or more to light. In between it stays as it is, so it does not flicker when you ride under trees or through an underpass. If the phone has no light sensor, the map follows the app theme: dark app, dark map.
Where it applies
The choice applies to the maps in the app: the navigation map, the route preview, the track map of a ride, the full screen, the zone picker and the live map of your crew. In the full screen of a track a sun-moon button changes the theme for that view only. The navigation cockpit itself always stays dark.
No extra data
The dark and the light map are two styles of the same map data. The light theme loads no extra tiles and no extra fonts. Both styles are also stored in the app itself.
Android Auto has its own choice
The map in the vehicle does not follow this setting and does not use the light sensor of the phone. The car menu has a row “Appearance” with “Automatic (like the car)”, “Day” and “Night”. Android Auto is part of Premium.
The choice moves with your account
The app also stores the app theme and the map theme in your account. On a new phone it takes both over at the first sync.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the map be dark while the app is light?
- Yes. The theme of the app and of the map are separate settings under Settings, General, Appearance.
- How does the app know it is dark?
- From the light sensor of the phone. At 10 lux or less the map turns dark, at 50 lux or more light. Without a light sensor it follows the app theme.
- Does the light map use more data?
- No. Both styles use the same map data and fonts.
- Does the setting apply in Android Auto too?
- No. The car map has its own row “Appearance” in the car menu. Android Auto is part of Premium.
- Is the map theme Premium?
- No. App theme and map theme work without Premium.