Dark themes don't just look great — they're also a fantastic utility, making your display easier on the eyes at night. Chrome OS is one of the few platforms that hasn't caught up with the times. While dark mode has been in development for some time, it hasn't reached a stable build just yet. A crucial part of the Chrome OS experience is next to support darker themes: its on-screen keyboard.

Although most Chromebook users likely don't use the virtual keyboard as much as a physical one, it's an essential tool for anyone with a hybrid or 2-in-1 device. A new flag spotted by the folks at 9to5Google points to incoming support for dark mode when using an on-screen keyboard, although with development as early as it is, it's not able to be activated just yet.

It's not the only change coming to the virtual keyboard. Google is working on supporting emojis included in Unicode 14 — the same ones being added in Android 12L over the coming months. The on-screen keyboard will also work with Linux apps soon. That's great news for anyone working with Linux software on Chrome OS tablets or 2-in-1s, as previously, you needed a physical board to input any text.

These are all code changes, so you shouldn't expect to see them arrive in stable Chrome OS builds for a while. If you're running on the Canary channel, keep an eye out for these updates to arrive there over the coming weeks.