Read emails in the messages list are hard to read when using a dark color scheme

Checklist

• I have used the search function to see if someone else has already submitted the same bug report.
• I will describe the problem with as much detail as possible.

App

K-9 Mail

App version

11.1

Where did you get the app from?

F-Droid

Android version

13

Device model

No response

Steps to reproduce

Try to read the text of read emails in the message list when using a dark color scheme and being in a bright environment, e.g. outside in the sun.

Expected behavior

You should be able to read everything without problems.

Actual behavior

You can't, since https://github.com/thunderbird/thunderbird-android/pull/9565

Logs

The original problem (unread messages can't be easily distinguished from read ones anymore) https://github.com/thunderbird/thunderbird-android/issues/8448 is claimed to be fixed by https://github.com/thunderbird/thunderbird-android/pull/9565. Technically, it is – but actually, it only exchanged this problem with another one, because the way unread messages are displayed was not changed, but the way the read ones are.

This leads to the problem that the list of read messages has a real bad contrast when using a dark color scheme, esp. surfacing when you try to read through them in a bright environment (outside, sun, with sunglasses):

… and this screenshot is way more readable on a desktop computer's screen than on a mobile "in the wild".

This may be associated with the general complaint about the dark color mode filed recently at https://github.com/thunderbird/thunderbird-android/issues/9684.

I know it's hard to please all (or at least the majority of) users. I'm a KDE Dev myself. Thus I don't want to bitch about this or nag you again and again, but leave constructive criticism here. This is not really a bug or asking for a new feature. It's a regression. We did have a perfectly working dark color scheme until recently, one could distinguish read from read messages and could read both types in the messages list effortlessly, also in a bright environment.

The color scheme was changed, and now everybody complains. I'm pretty sure you use K-9 Mail yourselves, some in a dark mode. And I'm pretty sure you noticed the problems yourselves. If not, just try in real life, on a mobile.

Please consider to revert this color scheme change, instead of tinkering on the new one. It has a severe negative impact on the usability of the whole app – otherwise, one would not see so many complaints, to the point that users think about switching to another mail app after years.

Thanks in advance for considering this, or at least fixing the contrast problem. And thanks for taking your users seriously!

Reproduce the message-list contrast problem in K-9 Mail 11.1 on Android 13 with a dark color scheme, especially in bright outdoor conditions. Review pull request #9565 and the related issue #8448 to understand the color-scheme change; done means read messages remain readable while read and unread messages are still clearly distinguishable.