Black theme but white emails?

[Michel_NL]

Hi all, I've been reading this forum for a couple of weeks and this weekend I finally got my Lumia 1020 (International version). So far, the device has been impressive and the UI is even more beautiful than I had expected. I have used iOS for a few years and my last phone was a Nexus running Android 4.x, which was in many ways a great phone. So far, however, WP8 feels better.

I really have only one niggle: I chose the black theme and so my (Exchange) inbox is beautifully black. But as soon as I open an email, the interface background becomes white. Is this normal behavior?

I know there is a setting in the email app where you can choose a white background for emails, but I have not checked that setting. I did a soft reset, but it still stays like this.
It is not a big thing, the white background looks elegant too. But I thought the inconsistency was weird.

That said, I'm enjoying the device immensely.

 

[sueha]

Have you ever seen emails on black backgrounds anywhere else? I see it as a "hidden design standard" to show emails on a white background. Imagine a newsletter which is packed with images. The creator of the newsletter designed it to be on white background. It might look weird on a black background. That's what I think why they made this. I could be wrong though.

 

[Michel_NL]

Thank you for the suggestion. I did think that WP8 might force the white background "only" for HTML-formatted emails, which unfortunately is the bulk of all incoming email. But I just sent a plain-text email (no formatting) and it was also shown against a white background.
Also, if you are correct: why then include a toggle to turn OFF white backgrounds and why is there no difference? I am all for maintaining design standards (one of the reasons why I have left Android), but this makes little sense.

 

[tgr42]

This is just a classic weakness of Windows Phone. They make this wonderfully AMOLED-friendly black background theme throughout the whole OS, but then force you to use a white background no matter what for all email. It's how it's always been and it's just plain stupid. There's no excuse for not at least providing an option that the user can change if they want to. Reading light text against a dark background may not be the norm but it's hardly a radical concept. Unfortunately with Windows Phone it's their way or the highway, in this matter and so many others.

 

[daniel_sherlock]

Hi, if you go into your email and it settings, scroll to under where the signature is there's an option *use light background for email* un tick if and it will be black. I actually keep mine on white but any how.

 

[Eric J F]

The OP is right- the in-message view is light even when you uncheck that setting. I wondered the same thing...

 

[Ultimateone]

Hi, if you go into your email and it settings, scroll to under where the signature is there's an option *use light background for email* un tick if and it will be black. I actually keep mine on white but any how.

Click on an email, it goes to white! haha

 

[DrRyder]

I have the white background on the emails as well. I figured it was because the font was in black and black on black is obviously not readable so it would be easier to make the background white than invert peoples' font colors.

Just my thoughts.

 

[navidee]

Wow. Im surprised no one seemed to know this. I don't remember it as an option in 7, but as soon as I saw the option on my 1020 I changed it to black. So much easier on the eyes.
Edit:
Oops. You mean the actual email not the list view. I never thought about that lol!

 

[xandros9]

I'd say it's just to preserve the format and looks of emails, since it being on a white background is pretty much standard across the email world. Some people use colors and stuff, and that will look best on a white background. Either using a black background or completely inverting the color will sometimes look weird.

 

[sjgore]

I'd say it's just to preserve the format and looks of emails, since it being on a white background is pretty much standard across the email world. Some people use colors and stuff, and that will look best on a white background. Either using a black background or completely inverting the color will sometimes look weird.

Exactly.

Being able to switch off the white background of actual emails that are intended to be white (rather than just the interface) makes about as much sense as a "show red as blue" option.

 

[tgr42]

What a completely ridiculous argument. If it was really so important to use a white background for email, the email client could either override the user's preference and use white when colors are explicitly specified in the email. Or it could just override the colors specified in the email. There is no global standard requiring emails to be displayed using a certain color scheme. This is just a matter of laziness on Microsoft's part. I'm saying this as a developer who has written an email client and used it every day for the past 15 years.

 

[xandros9]

What a completely ridiculous argument. If it was really so important to use a white background for email, the email client could either override the user's preference and use white when colors are explicitly specified in the email. Or it could just override the colors specified in the email. There is no global standard requiring emails to be displayed using a certain color scheme. This is just a matter of laziness on Microsoft's part. I'm saying this as a developer who has written an email client and used it every day for the past 15 years.

probably becomes a matter of not just laziness but limited resources. imo its probably justified by consistency across emails

 

[tgr42]

Ah. So what's more important then - consistency across emails or consistency across the entire OS? The lack of the latter is the reason for this thread. This inconsistency sticks out, especially on an AMOLED display where it also carries a significant power cost. I'm sure many WP users have noticed that this doesn't fit with the rest of the OS and wondered why.

I think ideally this should be decided by a user preference, but MS hasn't given us that option. Personally probably more than 90% of my emails would require no trickery to work perfectly fine with a different color scheme, and the rest are already inconsistent in ways other than the color scheme. If you want to chalk it up to limited resources / prioritization, ok, fine, but I think they could've made time for it and made it work if they really valued the user experience and power efficiency.

 

[anon4276835]

I would like the option of using the "dark keyboard" when composing an email - as in messaging.

 

[colsmith999]

thanks daniel_sherlock

your answer is what i have been searching for

white background on email I'm sure means more battery drain

 

[Loco5150]

Yes, this is also one thing thats not thought through in WP. With black theme the emails should definitly be also with black backround. As pointed out here already on Amoled screens this affects the battery life. Also its very annoying if youre doing emails in the dark and your theme is dark, but when you open the email app everything is really bright.

I hope this catch up ends at some point and MS is able to add this also.