Apple Messages & Color Contrast

Reading text messages on Apple devices presents a challenge, particularly those pesky green bubbles from non-iPhone users (standard SMS messages). These are significantly harder to read than iMessages (blue bubbles).

A contrast checker reveals the problem: the green bubble's text-background contrast is abysmal. The 2.17:1 ratio falls far short of WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standards (4.5:1) and is even further from AAA standards (7:1).

This isn't a new complaint. Recent articles highlight the poor readability of these green bubbles:

• How iPhone Violates Apple’s Accessibility Guidelines (Kevin Voller)
• Apple Accused of Purposely Making Messages From Android Devices Hard to Read (Hypebeast)
• Text Messaging Wars: Apple Makes Android Green (Psychology Today)
• Apple Message Color Complaints Continue (Infopackets)
• Apple Using Green Color For Android Messages To Establish iPhone’s Dominance? (Gizbot)
• How To Make iPhone Green Messages Easier To Read (Inquier.net)

While avoiding conspiracy theories, a look at the color evolution reveals a concerning trend:

• iOS 6: Dark text on a green gradient background
• iOS 7: White text on a #5AB539 background (approximate)
• iOS 16.1: White text on a #6ACC46 background

The shift from dark text to white shows a clear decline in readability. Even if the design team checked against WCAG, a comparison against Apple's own Human Interface Guidelines is warranted. The current green (#65C466) differs from the system color listed in the guidelines (#30D158), yet neither provides acceptable contrast.

The low contrast remains a significant accessibility issue.

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