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Adaptive Theme

Auto-switch dark theme & wallpapers using the ambient light sensor
New in version 2.5.1
• Upgraded to target SDK 37 (Android 17)
• Dependency updates
Adaptive Theme switches Android's system-wide theme between light and dark mode according to the ambient light sensor instead of relying on sunset or a fixed schedule. Use light mode in bright surroundings and dark mode in low light, with the threshold under your control.

It can also switch your wallpaper to match the active theme.

Features


  • Uses the device's physical ambient light sensor

  • Custom lux threshold and presets for indoor, outdoor, and daylight conditions

  • Wallpaper Theme Sync for separate light and dark home and lock screen wallpapers

  • Optional blur effect for the lock screen wallpaper

  • Optional night lock to keep dark mode active during a chosen time period

  • Quick Settings tile for convenient control

  • Material You interface and more than 50 languages



Efficient by design

The sensor is sampled briefly after the screen turns on rather than monitored continuously. Before changing the theme, Adaptive Theme checks that the sensor is not covered by a hand or pocket. Theme changes therefore happen at screen-on and do not interrupt you while you are actively using another app.

One-time setup

Android does not normally allow regular apps to change protected system settings such as the system theme. Adaptive Theme therefore needs a one-time grant of the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS permission. This permission does not grant root access or allow the app to read personal data. Adaptive Theme uses it only to switch the light and dark system theme, and it is revoked when the app is uninstalled.

The guided setup offers several options:


  • WebADB through a simple website on a computer or secondary Android device, without installing ADB

  • Shizuku and compatible Shizuku forks, required only once while granting the permission

  • Root on supported devices

  • A manual ADB command: adb shell pm grant dev.lexip.hecate android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS



More

Adaptive Theme requires Android 14 or newer. Tablets are currently not supported.

The FOSS build is licensed under GPL-3.0 and contains no ads, analytics, crash reporting, trackers, or proprietary libraries.

For troubleshooting and additional details, see the README and FAQ.
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Versions

Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.

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  • Version 2.5.1 (139) suggested Added on Sep 14, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86 x86_64

    This version requires Android 14 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • run foreground service
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services.
    • run foreground service with the type "specialUse"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "specialUse"
    • show notifications
      Allows the app to show notifications
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • set wallpaper
      Allows the app to set the system wallpaper.
    • control vibration
      Allows the app to control the vibrator.
    • android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
    • dev.lexip.hecate.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
    • moe.shizuku.manager.permission.API_V23

    Download APK 3.6 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

    • New in version 2.5.0
    • The target wallpaper is now also applied when the system theme is switched manually (#187).
    • Adaptive Theme now applies the target theme and wallpaper immediately when enabled from the app or Quick Settings tile (#192).
    • Improved wallpaper update reliability and fixed the brightness indicator for 1 lux measurements.
    • Reduced memory usage when migrating selected wallpaper images.
    • Minor test, build, dependency, and documentation improvements.
  • Version 2.5.0 (136) - Added on Sep 02, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86 x86_64

    This version requires Android 14 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • run foreground service
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services.
    • run foreground service with the type "specialUse"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "specialUse"
    • show notifications
      Allows the app to show notifications
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • set wallpaper
      Allows the app to set the system wallpaper.
    • control vibration
      Allows the app to control the vibrator.
    • android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
    • dev.lexip.hecate.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
    • moe.shizuku.manager.permission.API_V23

    Download APK 3.6 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

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