The colors used in a gadget UI often seem like an aesthetic choice alone. But for those with color blindness, it can mean the difference between being able to operate a device normally and having a frustrating time using a phone or tablet. Fortunately the next version of Android after KitKat, currently known as Android L, includes new display modes to help users with color vision deficiency to see things more clearly.
Found under Settings > Accessibility in Android L, the Color Space Correction option has six settings for different types of color blindness:
- Deuteranomaly (red-green)
- Protanaomaly (red-green)
- Tritanomaly (blue-yellow)
- Deuteranopia (green)
- Protanopia (red)
- Tritanopia (blue)
The various color correction modes will affect everything you see on your phone or tablet's display, including full-screen content like videos and games. But the color changes won't be shown in any screenshots you take — useful for colorblind users wanting to share screen images with those with normal vision.
Android L also supports color inversion, which can make certain things easier to read for users with vision impairment; like color space correction, this also won't affect how your screenshots turn out. And as in previous versions of the OS, magnification gestures are supported in Android L, allowing users to triple-tap the screen to zoom in and then use two fingers to pan around. Both of these features also live under Settings > Accessibility.
Display adjustments of the kind have been available in Android customizations from phone makers for some time — in Samsung's TouchWiz, for instance, a similar feature is found under Settings > Accessibility > Vision. But it's great to see options like this find their way into the core OS, making Android easier to use for everyone.
More: Hands-on with Android L
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite review: Samsung finally has an answer to OnePlus
With a Snapdragon 855 chipset, massive 4500mAh battery, 48MP camera at the back, and a large 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, the Galaxy S10 Lite is the best value flagship Samsung has released to date. You also get Android 10 out of the box, and the fact that the phone costs less than $600 makes it an absolute steal.
HyperX Cloud Flight S headset hands-on: Great virtual surround sound
HyperX released a new addition to its Cloud Flight headset line and it's a much-needed upgrade. The Cloud Flight S now supports 7.1 virtual surround sound as opposed to stereo.
The Galaxy Z Flip has a glass display under the plastic
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip is the first phone with a foldable glass display. Or is it? Yes, but only technically.
Time to dump Chrome: 8 alternative desktop web browsers
If you getting frustrated with the lack of privacy, slower speeds or difficulty using extensions in Chrome, it's time to switch to one of these web browsers.
