iOS 9: Use a gray background in Safari Reader

iOS 9 comes with many cool, new features but one that hasn’t gotten much attention is a small tweak to Safari Reader. This change lets you switch the background of Web pages to gray with white text when you tap the Reader button at the top of your Safari browser.

In this tip I’ll show you how to change Safari Reader’s background to gray in iOS 9.

How to use a gray background in Safari Reader in iOS 9

Just follow these simple steps to use a gray background in Safari Reader in iOS 9:

1. Open Safari in iOS 9 and go to the Web page you want to read.

2. Tap the Reader button on the left side of the URL field at the top of Safari.

3. Tap the font button (the letter A) on the right side of the URL field at the top of Safari.

4. The font and color selection menu will appear.

5. Tap on the gray color option that now appears between Sepia and Black.

Safari Reader in iOS 9 makes web pages resemble Daring Fireball

Daring Fireball is one of the best known Apple blogs. And it uses a unique grayish background with white text that stands apart from most other blogs. If you’re a fan of Daring Fireball then you will definitely enjoy the new, gray color scheme in Safari Reader in iOS 9.

Once I realized that I could make Web page backgrounds gray in Safari Reader in iOS 9, I decided to experiment to see how well I liked it. The usual black text on a white background has always seemed too bright to me, and the sepia option can also be too bright. And during the day the night option is a bit too dark for me to read.

But I found that the gray option hits a perfect sweet spot for comfortable reading on my iPhone or iPad during the day. It’s easier on the eyes than the white or sepia backgrounds, but still brighter and more comfortable than the black background that is geared toward night-time reading.

I’m very glad that Apple added this feature to Safari Reader. Reader is invaluable tool for making Web pages much easier and more comfortable to read than the default design of most Web sites. And the gray background now offers a truly viable alternative to the other colors offered by iOS 9 in Safari Reader.

Be sure to check it out once you’ve upgraded to iOS 9. You’ll be glad you did.

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