How to make an iPhone show information without relying on colour
2 min read · 3 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, and switch on Differentiate Without Color. Screen items that rely on colour alone to convey information are then replaced with alternatives, such as shapes or text.
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 26.5 (iPhone 17)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Accessibility › Display & Text Size
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Red for off and green for on is no help if you cannot tell the two colours apart. Some items on the iPhone screen rely on colour to convey information. One switch replaces them with other ways to tell them apart.
The screenshots show iOS 26.5 on an iPhone 17. On older versions the rows have the same names, with a slightly different look.
Step by step
Open Settings and tap Accessibility
Accessibility is in the first group of the main Settings list, below General.
Tap Display & Text Size
It is in the Vision group, below Hover Text.
Scroll down and switch on Differentiate Without Color
In the picture it is off. The note below reads: replaces user interface items that rely solely on color to convey information with alternatives.
Good to know
Switches can get a symbol as well: how to show on and off symbols on iPhone switches.
For colour vision deficiencies, Apple also offers Color Filters on the same page of a real iPhone.
In short: Settings, Accessibility, Display & Text Size, Differentiate Without Color on.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.