Android 15's color contrast settings will make apps easier to read

The Android operating system runs on billions of devices worldwide, which means it’s used by not just young, tech savvy users but also by people of all demographics. Google, the company that develops Android, has created multiple accessibility options to ensure their mobile operating system can be enjoyed by just about anyone. In the upcoming Android 15 release, which is set to debut this fall, Google may be adding new “color contrast” settings that will help users make apps easier to read.

Earlier today, Google released a new Android 14 beta dubbed Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1. The hallmark of point releases like this one is the many bug fixes they bring, and QPR3 Beta 2.1 is no different. However, QPR3 Beta 2.1 also surprisingly brings some new features, including the new high-quality mode for the Android webcam feature first seen in Android 15 Developer Preview 2. Under the hood, the QPR3 Beta 2.1 update also adds a hidden “color contrast” settings page that I managed to manually activate.

First look at Android’s color contrast settings

This page lets the user adjust the contrast of text, buttons, and icons to make them stand out more in apps. Users can choose from “default”, “medium”, or “high” contrast levels for colors as well as toggle “maximize text contrast” to “add a black or white background around text to increase contrast.” The page also includes a mockup of an app that serves as a preview of these toggles, though users should be aware that “some apps may not support all color and text contrast settings.”

Here is an image gallery that showcases the various color contrast settings in both light and dark modes.

Notably, Google was previously seen working on a “contrast level” slider in preview builds of Android 14. At the time, I discovered that this slider would work with apps that utilize Google’s Material components library to enable Material You theming. The purpose of the slider is to adjust the tone (lightness) of colors with backgrounds to become closer to their background as the contrast lowers, and to become further when the contrast increases. The slider was moved under Android’s developer options in the first beta build of Android 14, where it remains today.

When will Android’s color contrast settings arrive?

This new “color contrast” settings page is likely the user-facing version of the “contrast level” slider seen in the previous release but with the addition of the “high contrast text” option currently found in Android’s display size and text settings. However, as I previously said, the “color contrast” page is not currently visible in the latest QPR3 Beta 2.1 release. Once it does go live in a future update, it should appear under Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion. This page will likely be added as part of this year’s Android 15 update, which is poised to introduce other UI-related changes, such as a revamped volume panel.