Latest update to iOS 17 put a big gray poster background with white font on each of my contacts. Unless they used a custom photo, it is nearly impossible to read.
For clarification, I’m an older adult and my eyes aren’t what they used to be so most of my settings are set to a black background with a gray font.
Has anyone figured out how to change that gray poster box without having to do it on each contact one at a time?
This would indeed be very very helpful.
In addition to that request it would be nice to have a setting that disables the new default contact ID view that takes a lot of screen space just for style.
I would really prefer the old style where you don‘t have to scroll so much to see all essential contact information on one screen… I use this for business and I think a lot of us would like to have this setting to make it more convenient and practical again.
I found you can select a background color instead of that light gray. Black is not available but I did choose a darker gray, which helps me see the white writing:
Go to Contacts on your iPhone. Select the person whose contact page you want to change. (I guess we need to do each one individually, maybe someone can show us how to change it for every contact at once? )
At your contact's page, select 'Contact Photo & Poster.' Select 'Customize' and a choice pops up. Select 'Poster.'
Now, at the bottom left, select that circle O. And up pops Background Colors. I chose the dark gray all the way at the bottom right. And then below that is a slide bar where you can make the gray lighter or even darker. I slid that right to maximum dark. Then I hit the X to close the background color popup. Finally, at the very top right I selected 'Done.'
Hope this helps!
vlotfi wrote:
Me too. It is a horrible color. What is wrong with Apple these days! Don't they pretest such changes before pushing them out.
Apple does in-house alpha testing, developer beta testing and public beta testing. Just because you don't like a featured doesn't mean it wasn't carefully considered. And other people may like it. Other people may have submitted lots of feedback requesting something like it.
You can submit your feedback to Apple here:
You can also participate in the public beta releases.
Is there a way to eliminate the 70% wasted space on the screen now with a different format?
[Edited by Moderator]
FeliciaCommunity wrote:
If you want to take away all color from our contact list at least give us the option to get it back the former way it was. It shouldn’t have been forced upon the people that don’t want it. Different strokes for different folks!! Not fair!!
I don't want to do anything with your contacts.
Apple doesn't read here in this user-to-user technical support forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:
Meanwhile, an option is to use Siri to make calls. Then you don't have to look at the screen at all.
Kmartihe wrote:
Most don’t like the new color, are you reading the posts?
I've been reading this tread since it started. The fact that a few people are voicing their displeasure 1) doesn't mean they are a representative sample of all iPhone users and 2) has absolutely no bearing on my opinion. Even if every other iPhone user on the planet didn't like it, I would still be allowed to like it.
What you (or anyone else) dislikes is not something I can do anything about. Tell Apple:
dogandponyshow wrote:
You are indeed allowed to like anything you want to! I don't see where anyone here has said anything to the contrary. What others are saying is that they aren't allowed to change something they didn't ask for and have trouble using.
What you or I (or anyone else) dislikes is not something anyone participating here can do anything about. Tell Apple:
Checksonce wrote:
Apple seems to be from another planet or another time.
I find this change extremely inconvenient and unnecessary.
Tell Apple:
A contact in my experience is viewed to access his contact details ex phone no etc and I have checked with a few other users. 99% do not bother to add a photograph to a contact.
That is not necessarily are representative sample of iPhone users.
Rebbie7069 wrote:
Now more news from the police 👮 department about the update for parents to change a setting in AIRDROP cause people can get close to their phone or your own phone and they get your name email address photos this is scary 😱 I checked mine of course in setting mine was turned OFF
This 17 up date has been the worst ever marking people upset and not liking it at all
if it was not broke they should have left it alone. Now a second update that’s not good it’s was in the news APPLE 🍎 IOS 17
update not good.
From "the police department"? Which police department? There is more than one. It sounds like you've fallen victim to some scaremongering. The feature you're talking about, NameDrop, requires that the phones be practically touching.
Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info - Apple Support
Apple needs to fix all these problems put it back like it was
Tell Apple:
check your phones on the AIRDROP
not good either WHRN you hear it from the police department on the news.
You may not be old enough to remember, but we used to have this thing called a "Phone Book". The name, address and phone number of almost everyone who had a phone number was in it. And we survived.
The media wants you to be afraid so their advertisers can sell you stuff.
Brandnewuserid wrote:
How soon will Apple fully respond with actual programming to this negative feedback regarding IOS 17 Contacts graphics and features? Days? Weeks? Months?
No one here in this user-to-user forum would know the answer to that.
Is there a genuine possibility of very quickly and temporarily reverting iPhone programming to the previous Contacts programming, roughly matching IOS 16 features, and then after that slowly and carefully releasing any further changes to contacts?
If you're asking if you can downgrade to iOS 16, no, you can't. If you're asking if Apple could reverse the changes, I'm sure they could if they decided they wanted to. But, again, no one here would know anything about that.
It's not just older people complaining.
I'm an older person and I have no problem with it. So, not all older people are complaining.
Meanwhile, have you submitted feedback to Apple?
TMoffatt23 wrote:
The initial view of CONTACTS in IOS should be as minimalist as GOOGLE’s home SEARCH page. As untroubled with clutter as possible, and as laser-focused on USE as possible.
You can certainly let Apple know what you would like.
But "should" really doesn't enter into it. This is a matter of taste and preference.
y210 wrote:
The main theme and request is don’t change the aesthetics. Focus on functionality. How hard is that? Evidently too hard for some young fellows or ladder climbing folks who want to impress their bosses with some off the wall coding.
Apple does not read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:
Wendola99 wrote:
Do we know if Apple personnel monitor this website? Would be a good chance for them to see in real time if their house is on fire
The only Apple personnel who consistently monitor this site are the Hosts. Their job is to make sure that people follow the rules. They do not have the time or staffing to deal with finding feedback in this fire hose of posts.
If you want Apple to know your thoughts on the matter, use the feedback page:
Someone, I don't think a comparatvely minor issue of aethetics is exactly a house fire.
GeorgenBalt wrote:
Is there a way to contact Apple to change it back- or an option for all the contacts at once going back to the way it was?
You can give Apple feedback about what you'd like to see in the future here:
But no, there is no way to go back to a previous version of iOS.
DaWilens wrote:
Agree. This update doesn't work for me. I liked the old contacts just the way they were. Give us the option to use the full screen to show the contact details (for those of us that like photos / emoji, etc) or just the name as it always was and with a lot less space being allocated to something people may not want.
Apple does not read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:
BobUlius wrote:
Not true. I showed above I have done it to all my contacts but VERY time consumming.
Most people are asking how to change Contacts so that it doesn't appear that way at all. Previous attempts to explain that it can be done on a per-contact basis have been met with derision.
And if I can do it, Apple can change it easily.
Of course Apple can change it. However, we have no indication that they are planning on doing so at this time. And, Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions. I suggest that if you want them to know your thoughts, you send them feedback:
iOS 17 Default Contact Screen Difficult to Read
