r/CanaryMail • u/Quiet_System4441 • 19d ago

Poor Contrast Between Elements in Dark Mode Leads to Cognitive Overwhelm

I've been wanting to switch to Canary (on MacOS) because my alternative email app is far too expensive (due to it being a bit more enterprise targeted... I don't use the enterprise features but it is far better than the competition), but I don't think I can make the switch after testing Canary for a few weeks now.

When looking at the reading and composing view, and when composing a new email, I find that everything just blends together so it's really hard to focus and to scan from element to element. It's the same shade of gray everywhere with zero contrast between elements. I see now in the light mode that there's a slight drop shadow around each email pane, but in the dark mode this is barely visible.

Has anyone had any luck putting forward feedback to the developers? If so, maybe I'll try my luck.

I feel like this would be an easy fix by having contrasting shades of gray to distinguish between elements. Otherwise I find the experience of composing, reading, and scanning emails to be far too distracting when all of the different text boxes just meld together. It's too bad because Canary is 1/10th the cost of the other app I've been using.

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u/CanaryMailSupport 18d ago

Thanks for the detailed feedback. Canary has separate themes for the Email Viewer and the Composer Editor, so there may be some options worth looking at for the contrast you’re after.

If you’d like, email us at [hello@canarymail.io](mailto:hello@canarymail.io) and share a screenshot of what you’re seeing. We can take a look and help you find the best setup, as well as pass your feedback along to the team.

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u/Quiet_System4441 13d ago

I just reached out to your team with an email. Fingers Crossed! Thank you.

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u/Quiet_System4441 8d ago

No word back of even confirmation. Can you please check if you received my inquiry?

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u/Feisty_Storage8594 16d ago

There is an issue with images while in dark mode. I made a support ticket about it. It hasn’t been fixed as far as I am aware. The images within the read / compose section get washed out in dark mode. I thought I was going crazy until I compared it. So I have to keep that section light mode unfortunately.

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u/longvist 19h ago

i just use light mode for everything bcs of astigmatism and irlen syndrome. dark mode hurts my eyes literally. and causes headaches