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?
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!
This part of the update makes no sense. I look after this elderly lady who is visually impaired and heavily relies on white font and black background. Now she cannot see her contacts correctly even with the largest font. While the main contact screen is black & white , she relies on being able to see each contact individually. This is her ONLY form of communication. Please APPLE!! Do better and have your developers think of ALL users. Now I have to change all of her contacts individually with a black background.
I can't see it even by attempting to change the background color, unless I can find a dark room, but I'm a farmer and outside all day every day... Unless I can undo this change, I will be buying a new phone. It WON'T be an apple.
I do not like the changes to my contacts. It was not broken. IT folks are just justifying their jobs by changing something just to say, “I did this! Look at me! See how great I am!” It was not broken!!!!!!!!!
Of all the colors to pick Apple had to pick grey?? Grey is so drab!! I should have known better than to allow these downloads be put on my phone. Why don’t you just leave us alone and let us live our lives with the colors we choose or at least have the option to change it when you take it upon yourselves to take it away from us!!
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!!
The design is an absolute mess. No-one uses photos for contacts (except maybe for your wife/gf/bf etc.)
The number, which is the key reason for going into contacts, I now need to scroll down on my phone because 3/4 of the screen is taking up by this giant useless photo thing at the top. Crazy design idea. And not conducive to quick use of contacts as now have to scroll down (just checked my other older iPhone, and the number was instantly available). How can you re-design something, presumably test it, and actually make the functionality 100% worse. Very very odd
Apple prides itself on good design. As a designer myself, I have to ask WTF with the new contact backgrounds someone should be fired. It is moronic to expect the people will go through hundreds of contacts and change them individually. Obviously, there was no user testing done on this change, certainly not with seniors. It’s just dumb. Doesn’t even make sense from a battery management perspective where a black background which was perfectly fine before would use less energy than the annoying gray background. I wonder how long it will take for Apple to figure out and fix this . If you need better designers, please contact me.
evyda3mon wrote:
Seems this thread takes off now!
Good.
Apple should resolve this in a weeks time. We use this iPhones - would you believe it - as PHONES.
And we need the perfectly fine old contact view back!
Tell Apple:
Dostoyevsky2001 wrote:
I find it odd that you prefer a design which requires an extra step (scroll down) to access the telephone number, which is the primary purpose of Contacts.
I find it odd (and hilarious and sad) that people are so upset about this. Just goes to show that different people have different likes, needs and opinions.
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:
The changes for background appearance of the contact screen is probably one of the dumbest most useless changes I have seen in an update in 20 years using Apple. The procedure to change it - one at a time - is ridiculous. This needs a global fix please Apple. And there was me thinking Apple has some clued up desiggners . Duh !
As the man said If it aint broken dont change it.
English: I don't like the background color of the phone address book.,It's not easy to use when it's gray.,It's better not to change the color back and forth.。Cantonese (Traditional): 我唔中意電話通訊錄嗰個底色呀，變咗灰色唔好用，返以前嗰個顏色最好唔好變嚟變去。
This is no good re privacy. Font size is so large that anyone nearby can read who the contact is and possibly other info about them. All the text on third line has been capitalized! This changes the info I put in there. Now, to see these words exactly as I typed them, I must hit edit to open up the contact.
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.
Me too. Why doesn’t Apple follow ADA guidelines? I’m of the boomer generation and despite cataract surgery I still need HIGH CONTRAST.
I’d like a “default” color scheme that I control and can apply to all my Contacts.
iOS 17 Default Contact Screen Difficult to Read
