How to Turn on High-Contrast Mode in Android 5.0

How-to
By published

If you're looking to make Google's Material design UI even easier to read, here's how to turn on two high-contrast settings in Android 5.0.

Google’s new Material design philosophy may be beautiful, but sometimes putting dark gray icons on a light gray background can lead to some interface confusion. But there’s a cure. In Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google has implemented two methods to make navigating its mobile OS clearer. The first is a high contrast text mode that replaces things like the dark green text with black.

The other is a color inversion mode that makes black white, and reverses every other color. Combined with a dark background, it can make using your devices at night or in direct sun a little more readable. Both options are found under the accessibility tab in the settings menu. To get there from the home screen:

MORE: Android 5 Lollipop: A Guide to the Best New Features

1. Open the Settings Menu.

2. Tap Accessibility.

3a. Check the box next to High Contrast Text to turn it on.

Or

3b. Tap the slider for Color Inversion.

Both settings work well to make the already good Android 5.0 UI easir to read, and hopefully Google will continue to iterate with improvements in the future.

For additional information about Android 5, check out the Tom's Guide Forums for news, help and more.

Sam Rutherford is a Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide. Follow him @SamRutherford on Twitter, and Tom’s Guide on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

See more Computing How-Tos
Sam Rutherford

Sam is a Senior Writer at Engadget and previously worked at Gizmodo as a Senior Reporter. Before that, he worked at Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer and Senior Product Review Analyst, overseeing benchmarks and testing for countless product reviews. He was also an archery instructor and a penguin trainer too (really).

1 Comment Comment from the forums