It’s not just the visuals that will change with the addition of dark mode — even the sounds will be tweaked too in Windows 11.
When you activate Dark Mode on your electronic devices, you may do so in order to help you wind down at the end of a long day, and give your eyes a rest from the screen’s bright light. Microsoft now seeks to go one further and rest your ears as well, as the company has introduced different sounds for when Dark Mode is enabled.
In a statement to Bleeping Computer, Microsoft explained the theory behind its new sound design for the two different modes: “We introduced light and dark sound options so that people who may have low visibility or no vision can still experience light and dark themes audibly. Themed sounds improve productivity by matching your working style through your theme. Dark Sounds help you stay in focus while Light Sounds ensure you’re always engaged.”
This isn’t the only change that has been made to the audio experience of the new operating system; even in general, sound is supposed to be more soothing in the new update, in contrast to its apparently spiky predecessor:
Windows 10 sounds were sharp, literally created with sharp wave lengths. In Windows 11, we have focused on making the technology calm. In order to do this, we needed to reevaluate our sound scape to also be calm. The new sounds have a much rounder wavelength, making them softer so that they can still alert/notify you, but without being overwhelming. Just like we rounded UI visually, we rounded our sound scape as well to soften the overall feel of the experience.
I can’t say that I’ve noticed Windows 10 being particularly aggravating with its use of sound, unless you’ve forgotten that had the volume cranked up previously and suddenly get a shrill blast through the headphones. But if my PC can calm me down with the use of sound alone, then I guess I’ve at least got an excuse to end those expensive meditation classes.
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