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!
We must continue this thread until they revert back to the aesthetics we previously had including clearing history for safari which has also been changed and it is really inconvenient and takes additional steps to clear it. If I do not clear the history periodically, the searches slow down significantly or become non responsive. Apple themselves suggested I cleared it and close all tabs to restore the speed.
y210 wrote:
We must continue this thread until they revert back to the aesthetics we previously had including clearing history for safari which has also been changed and it is really inconvenient and takes additional steps to clear it. If I do not clear the history periodically, the searches slow down significantly or become non responsive. Apple themselves suggested I cleared it and close all tabs to restore the speed.
I don't want to go back so. I like iOS 17. The custom text tone thing was a problem but they fixed it.
Response to IdrisSeabright
Your post: “No one here in this user-to-user forum would know the answer
to that (Apple's programming intentions).”
Of course not. What are the purposes of a forum? One of the purposes in my view
is to share concerns and issues with, in this case, Apple products. Some Forum
readers might consider, based on reading forum discussions, to post to Apple
Feedback, which might help get things done. Users helping each other directly is
not the only reason for being for a forum, in my opinion. We differ on that.
Your post: “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.”
Of course, there is no chance of a reversion to the previous IOS 16.
Reversion like this is extremely rare for any company, almost certainly never
for Apple historically. My suggestion is that perhaps bits of the programming
for contacts in IOS 16 could be restored to IOS 17 in a new update. I make no
technical claims on this, and my comment is a mere hope. The main point is
backtracking quickly, and then proceeding slowly with revisions.
Your post: 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.”
I never stated that all old people are complaining, which is your incorrect
paraphrase of my post. My statement is logically equivalent to: "Some
complainers are not old people." Your statement is logically equivalent to
"Some old people are not complainers." "Some" means
"at least one", i.e. you, no doubt others. Your statement is true,
but it does not respond to or contradict my statement, since both statements,
accurately understood, can be true at the same time.
Your post: “Meanwhile, have you submitted feedback to Apple?”
Yes. But see above on the purpose of online communities, in my view,
being at least twofold: (1) community members helping each other with specific problems;
and (2) community members sharing difficulties that they cannot help each other
with, but which might indirectly stimulate participants to convey their concerns
to the provider in question, here obviously via Apple feedback. I simply think
your apparent concept of the purposes of a forum is too restrictive.
Many good improvements on latest joy, needed FOR MONTHS!!BUT CONTACTS COLORING TOO difficult to read!!! Why change⁉️.
PLEASE CHANGE , update ASAP.
PERHAPS CONFER W OTHERS outside of Apple This was negative unessesary change!!!😟
The gray screen is likely not going to be fixed because it was designed to look ugly. Apple wants its users to update their contact posters so they look pretty on incoming calls. But the ugly gray screen will continue to show up for any non-Apple users since they do not have the contact posters feature. It encourages people to buy an Apple phone so they don’t appear ugly on other Apple phones. That is also why Apple chose an ugly green background to identify non-Apple users in iMessage. So please never get annoyed at anyone who has an ugly gray screen or a yucky green bubble. Apple understands aesthetics and could make them look nice if they wanted to.
BETA participation is not going to solve this problem for two reasons: Apple engineers are changing the aesthetics as well as functionality. And some people are too busy to get involved in something that is distracting and should not be a priority in their lives.
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.
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.
iOS 17 Default Contact Screen Colors
The options to change contact screen colors needs to be fixed. The IOS 17 update is anything but pleasant to look at. Also, changing each poster one at a time is incredibly ridiculous expectation of customers. What are iPhone owners who have business contacts supposed to do? Scroll through hundreds and make individual changes?
I chose the iPhone because Apple has always been cutting edge with its technology and look. The iPhone doesn’t look unique or original anymore. It looks like all the other phones.
Well, I knew update again come in for 17.1.2 well guess what? SOS yes right same old crap it did not change the phone contacts. They’re still in the new way. They put them up that nobody likes. I don’t either so don’t expect the new update to go back to the old way that the contacts used to be don’t happen. I knew it wouldn’t, but I updated it anyway just to check, so there you go Apple people who have contacts that was screwed up by the other update it did not change it back so all these comments that people are making it’s not worth the printing that they’re printing it on because they’re not gonna change a dang thing. Oh well, merry Christmas. It is what it is we can’t see our people we’re talking to their smothered and covered in gray color .
Thanks for the instructions to change faded color. I have over 1000 phone numbers. I absolutely refuse to individually change them all. Apple messed it up apple needs to fix it. It horrific. I’m a loyal apple individual. I’ll wait. They’ll do it
I am amazed at the product manager that allowed this. Using half the screen for nothing and then adding a poster or picture edit bar to waste more space when that could have been in an edit menu. Its unbelievable and so "unApple".
That being said, I was able to go from the first below to the second. It is NOT easy and takes me 5-7 minutes per contact. I did all ma "A".'s this afternoon after updating last night.
If I can do this, Apple can automate this in a similar way as an option. I can live with this if forced to.
I may not do any more hoping for enough outrage to get a quick fix.
Is not about the color, but the format overall.
The lack of judgement making this change and expecting that everyone would be excited about color coding their contacts . It is the most unproductive use of time for their company and users.
Yes, the change is ridiculous and hard to read. Being different is not better. Apple, you used to be good but now are just stupid. Why do you have to change things and make them harder for us. Change this back. ASAP!!!!!!!
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.
lol ton of people hate it. Imagine all those suffering in silence because they can’t find this page. When you make a mistake you gotta own it and fix it. Calm before the storm.
Nobody said you can’t do you and Apple does not need you to rescue them. We all make mistakes. Fix the problem.
iOS 17 Default Contact Screen Difficult to Read
