Effectively, colour me this! I used to be griping to myself final evening about simply how gosh dang arduous it’s to learn textual content messages in Apple Messages. You understand, not the blue bubbles that you simply get when messaging different iPhone customers. These are iMessages.
What I’m speaking about are the inexperienced bubbles you get when messaging non-iPhone customers. These are customary textual content messages.
iMessage (left) and textual content message (proper)
Let’s run the inexperienced by means of a distinction checker to see what’s up.
Oomph. Now I do know why I at all times attain for my studying glasses when a textual content message pops up. That 2.17:1 ratio is under the WCAG 2.0 AA requirement of 4.5:1 and wayyyyy under the AAA stage of seven:1.
Seems I’m not the one one griping. A fast search turned up just a little trove of stories and weblog posts — some as current as final week — concerning the readability of these inexperienced textual content message bubbles.
How iPhone Violates Apple’s Accessibility Tips (Kevin Voller)Apple Accused of Purposely Making Messages From Android Gadgets Arduous to Learn (Hypebeast)Textual content Messaging Wars: Apple Makes Android Inexperienced (Psychology In the present day)Apple Message Shade Complaints Proceed (Infopackets)Apple Utilizing Inexperienced Shade For Android Messages To Set up iPhone’s Dominance? (Gizbot)How To Make iPhone Inexperienced Messages Simpler To Learn (Inquier.internet)
I’m no conspiracy theorist and like to offer profit to doubt. Buuuuut…
Apple Messages in iOS 6 (left) and iOS 7 (proper)
Credit score: Phoceis
iOS 6: Darkish textual content on a inexperienced gradient backgroundiOS 7: White textual content on a #5AB539 background (or one thing near it)iOS 16.1: White textual content on a #6ACC46 background
That second one is predicated on outdated screenshots and may not be essentially the most correct colour worth. However nonetheless, the transition from iOS 6 with darkish textual content to what we now have in the present day in iOS 16.1 reveals a transparent regression. I’d like suppose the design group checked the up to date values in opposition to WCAG tips, certain, however no less than in opposition to their very own Human Interface Tips.
The present inexperienced background (#65C466) seems to be completely different than what’s listed because the inexperienced “system colour” (#30D158, transformed from a RGB of 48, 209, 88) within the iOS palette listed within the tips. But it surely’s not like that will get us any nearer to a passing WCAG AA or AAA score.
🤷♂️
Apple Messages & Shade Distinction initially printed on CSS-Methods, which is a part of the DigitalOcean household. It is best to get the publication.
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